Downtown :Cincinnati In The News

"Columbus brethren to help Cincinnati firefighters during funeral" says the Columbus Dispatch headline, describing a touching tribute within the brotherhood of firefighters grieving the death of Cincinnati Fire Dept.'s Daryl Gordon last week.

As many as 126 Columbus firefighters will travel here tomorrow to fill regular shifts in the city as Cincinnati Fire Dept. personnel attend Gordon's funeral at St. Peter in Chains Cathedral downtown. All are donating off-duty time to allow Cincinnati firefighters to honor their colleague.

Cincinnati's annual Constella Festival of Music & Fine Arts is called "the festival that's challenging the misconceptions of classical music" in a preview article published in Huffington Post's Arts & Culture section.

In December Soapbox wrote about founder Tatiana Berman's efforts to expand Constella's reach by employing more digital promotions that "target audiences nationally to come to Cincinnati." This Huffington Post piece will certainly help with her goal.

"Unlike the standard classical music circuit — characterized by what Berman's team describes as the 100 concert a year demanding schedule — Constella seeks to, in essence, maintain the intimacy of classical music, but encourage the experimentation and chance-taking," the article says.

The Constella Festival runs April 8-19 at Memorial Hall, Woodward Theatre, Cincinnati Art Museum, SCPA and several other venues. Get festival details and buy tickets here.

The Feb. 25 issue of The New York Times carries a glowing report, "Downtown Cincinnati Thrives as Riots' Memories Recede," in its real estate section. Read the full article online here.

Times writer Keith Schneider focuses on the high-profile downtown development projects we're familiar with — General Electric's new operations center on The Banks, Dunnhumby's new headquarters building at Fifth and Race, 3CDC's work at Fountain Square and in Over-the-Rhine — to describe Cincinnati as coming a long way since the 2001 riots. Nice photos by Mark Lyons, too.

The CEOs of two Cincinnati startups — Chris Bergman of Choremoster and Rodney Williams of Lisnr — are featured in Upstart 100, a list of "the inventors, visionaries, masters and more driving the new economy" as proclaimed by Upstart Business Journal, a national online publication owned by Cincinnati Business Courier's parent company.

Other figures named to the list include Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page, Steve Case, Jay Z and Taylor Swift, so the local entrepreneurs are in excellent company.

Huffington Post blogger Jason Grill gives big props to Cincinnati's startup scene, saying we now rival Kansas City as his pick for America's most entrepreneurial city.

"The words startup, technology and funding are creeping into the every day vocabulary in the Queen City," Grill writes. "Cincinnati lays claim to a growing and vibrant startup ecosystem. Much of this success is due to what we are seeing across the United States with fewer barriers to entry, but the main part of Cincinnati's success is due in large part to the venture funding access in the city."

Grill goes on to credit CincyTech and Cintrifuse for leading the recent charge here. Bottom line, he says: "Cincinnati is relevant in the startup world."

Forbes magazine is out with its annual "30 Under 30" list of young folks making a mark and changing the world. This year's list has a total of 600 millennials in 20 different categories (art & style, venture capital, consumer tech, music, etc.) — so 30 people in each.

A number of present and past Cincinnatians have a presence on the lists, many of them running startups developed through The Brandery. Konrad Billetz, CEO of Frameri eyeglass startup in Over-the-Rhine, was named among the leaders in manufacturing & industry, while Mayor John Cranley's director of external affairs, Daniel Rajaiah, made the law & policy list; he heads up Cranley's high-profile Task Force on Immigration. The Business Courier has a roundup of other Cincinnati connections to the lists.

The Cincinnati Streetcar's $148 million price tag is too high for some and not enough of an investment for others, but one thing's for certain: The project has lots of company across North America. The Transport Politic website published its annual rundown of major transit investments in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, saying a total of $90.6 billion will be spent in 2015 on roughly 100 different bus rapid transit, streetcar and light/heavy rail projects. Read more here.

Open Table diners have rated three Cincinnati restaurants as among the nation's best in recently released year-end lists.

Orchids at Palm Court downtown at the Hilton Netherland Plaza Hotel has been included in the Top 100 Restaurants in America, the only area dining spot so recognized. According to Open Table, these restaurants represent "the establishments where creativity, consistency and hospitality meet at every meal, every day." See the full list here.

Meanwhile, two fairly new bistros have been named among Open Table's Top 100 Neighborhood Gem Restaurants in America: Bistro Grace in Northside and Red Feather in Oakley. This list "honors the welcoming spots at which diners celebrate both the everyday and the exceptional. The list of honorees is determined after analyzing more than five million reviews of nearly 19,000 restaurants across the country." See the full list here.

Cincinnati is one of eight U.S. cities identified as potential "next Silicon Valleys" in a Huffington Post report on new destinations for "burgeoning techies" that was produced in conjunction with Citi Group. Cincinnati "may not seem like the next tech hub from the outside, but it actually is exactly where major investors are flocking," the piece says. It also touts the work The Brandery has done to lead the startup community here, referencing the glowing 2013 profile of the organization at Entrepreneur.com. Read more here.

Cities can change the "politics of parking" by using new parking meter technology to reinforce community planning concepts and push economic development — from giving residents a discount to earmarking meter revenue for better public services. No specific mention of Cincinnati, but some interesting ideas to chew on. Read more here.

Cincinnati government affairs guru Chip Gerhardt pushed the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the ABLE (Achieving a Better Life) Act last week, allowing people with disabilities to set up savings accounts with no tax on the earnings, similar to 529 college savings accounts, to cover housing, transportation and other expenses. Speaker of the House John Boehner was an active supporter. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration. Read about Gerhardt's efforts on behalf of his teenage daughter and thousands of others with disabilities here.

When the Super Friends of the classic 1970s cartoon series gather at the Hall of Justice, Cincinnatians find it eerily familiar—after all, the hideout drew inspiration from the Queen City’s Union Terminal. But now the art deco masterpiece is in need of some super friends itself.Read more.

Devon Still was re-signed to the Cincinnati Bengals’ practice squad after he was cut from the team, allowing him to use the NFL’s health insurance policy for his four-year-old daughter’s cancer treatment. The team announced on Monday night that it would be donating all of the proceeds from sales of Still's No. 75 jersey to the Cincinnati Children's Hospital to support the fight against pediatric cancer, resulting in an outpouring of support. Read more.

In Esquire magazine's column The Spill, Cincinnati chef David Falk says down with the frauds, the fame chasing chefs and their edible pond scum dioramas. We need craveable food served with human empathy. Read more.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2014 list, which lists the country’s most endangered historic places, was released last week. For the first time, the list includes two sites from the same city—Cincinnati—where it recognizes the Art Deco Union Terminal and Music Hall as buildings in need of large-scale restorations. Read more.

Minority business accelerators have launched in a handful of metropolitan areas in recent years as local businesses, chambers of commerce and economic development groups work to create more jobs and improve the quality of life in their regions. The Cincinnati accelerator, created by the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber in 2003, has inspired officials and business people in the Greenville, S.C.; Charlotte, N.C., and Newark, N.J. areas to start similar programs. Read more.

Popular Mexican restaurant Nada is expanding to Columbus. The new location will land at 240 West Nationwide Boulevard, inside the new Columbia Gas HQ Building that is currently under construction. Read more.

The baseball season is just starting but Great American Ball Park is already getting cheers from craft beer fans nationwide. The ballpark was recently named to two Top 10 lists of the best baseball stadiums for craft beer. Read more.

Organizers with Taste of Cincinnati, the nation's longest-running culinary arts festival, today announced that this year's festival will feature more food options than ever before in its 35-year history. Read more.

In an hour-long pitch Friday, Cincinnati leaders told Republican National Committee officials that Queen City is a cool, convenient and politically hot place to host the 2016 GOP convention. Read more.

Cincinnati and Pittsburgh have way too much in common to let petty rivalries and sporting grudges come between us. The drive isn't far—less than five hours, usually—and it will take quite a while to run out of things to do and see. We've given you a list of good places to start.

If you're looking for a town with culinary zeal, you don't have to head to a big metropolis. Tucked away in mountain towns, seaside hamlets and Midwestern cities like Cincinnati lie hidden culinary gems, including upscale dining, local coffee shops and delicious microbrews. Read more.

Whether you're looking to get up to speed on the revitalization of downtown or just want to ratchet your hometown pride up a notch, this feature of the month from National Geographic on all things Cincinnati will give you your fix. Read more.

The Federal Transit Administration appears to be encouraging Cincinnati to begin planning to extend its starter streetcar line, the latter currently under construction. The FTA is urging the line be extended to the Uptown area, an employment center of 55,000 jobs. The current line, serving the city's Downtown, is home to 64,000 jobs. Read more.

"When I won an assignment to direct a commercial [in Cincinnati] in the middle of January this year, all I heard from friends and family were scoffs and pity. … And, to leave the sunny embrace of Los Angeles and fall into the death grip of a polar vortex, did seem like potential bummer. But, it was the opposite." Read more.

Cincinnati recently won a Streetsie Award for Most Kick-Ass Grassroots Movement for Livable Streets. Cincinnati won the people's choice award for its movement to save the Cincinnati streetcar project. Read more about the Streetsie Awards.

Jeff Ruby's never-ending quest to brand Jeff Ruby has added another chapter. Cincinnati's famed and outspoken restaurateur recently released his autobiography, "Not Counting Tomorrow: The Unlikely Life of Jeff Ruby." Read more about Jeff Ruby's New Autobiography in USA Today.

A newly formed group known as We Believe in Cincinnati announced a petition drive to put the streetcar issue before voters in a special election as soon as February. They said they hoped to collect 12,000 signatures by Saturday, more than double the amount needed to trigger a special election. The petition kickoff startes tonight at 6 p.m. at the First Lutheran Church at 1208 Race Street. Read more.

A musical developed by the Macy’s parade team will get its concert hall premiere next month when the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra performs “Macy’s Presents ‘Yes, Virginia’ in Concert.” The concert, to be performed at Music Hall on December 14, is being developed and presented by Macy’s, which is headquartered in Cincinnati. Read more.

It has to be encouraging for Cincinnati’s growing group of young, ambitious startup founders to hear that investors are finding a lot more opportunities locally to put their money than they used to. And the entrepreneurs have themselves partly to thank for that change. Read more.

Cincinnati USA Partnership’s new strategy of driving local job growth by focusing on key industries is delivering results despite concerns raised by local government leaders over the agency’s communications, staffing and responsibilities, said Denyse Ferguson, the Partnership’s former executive director. Read more.

Chef David Falk, who owns and operates three restaurants as part of his Boca Restaurant Group, has lived and honed his craft at restaurants in Chicago, Rome and Florence. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Falk moved home to Cincinnati in September 2001 and opened Boca, his first restaurant. Falk lives perched above downtown in the historic Prospect Hill neighborhood. Read his love letter to Cincinnati.

Topps cards absolutely hit a metaphorical grand slam by including Ted Kremer in its 2013 update set, which was released earlier this week. Kremer, a 30-year-old man from the Cincinnati area who has Down syndrome, inspired anybody who heard about his time as a batboy earlier this season for the Cincinnati Reds. Read more.

Cincinnati's 21C Museum Hotel was voted No. 1 hotel in the country in Condé Nast's Traveler's Reader's Choice Awards this week. Its sister hotels in Louisville and Bentonville also finished in the top 10. Read more.

Cincinnati is chock full of amazing local artists, but the city is not exactly known for being the street art capital of the world. However, with the help of places like The Contemporary Arts Center, BLDG, YES Gallery and AGAR, the city is surprisingly well represented by world famous street artists from across the globe. Read more.

The Aha Moment tour visited Cincinnati this summer and recorded many videos from local entrepreneurs and others about the one thing that made them go "aha" and change their lives in some way. Frank's video was selected as a top 20 semifinalist from among 4,000 entries, and is now a top 10 finalist in the running to be made into a National Mutual of Omaha commercial.

After 23 seasons spent staging summertime plays and musicals aboard a last-of-its-kind, National Historic Landmark moored to the Queen City's Public Landing on the Ohio River, the shows' producer—Cincinnati Landmark Productions—is shoving off for new adventures. Read more.

Home to the headquarters of 10 Fortune 500 companies, Cincinnati also supports a growing community of tech startups through accelerator programs, low business taxes and unemployment, and the connecting power of established companies.

Palo Alto it ain't, but still, Cincinnati is trying. It has a well-regarded accelerator, the Brandery, which borrows the regional expertise in consumer marketing (this is the homeown for P&G, after all) to help start-ups build a brand.

Fourteen-year-old Emerson Walker decided to pitch his idea, now named mPlanner, at the Cincinnati Startup Weekend event. It’s only a 60 second pitch in front of 100+ ridiculously smart developers, designers and business people. Why wouldn’t a fourteen year old have the courage to do this?

Business owners and history buffs in Cincinnati want Ohio's third-largest city to carve out its own niche in alcohol tourism and transform a bedraggled, crime-prone neighborhood into a thriving brewery district.

A team from Detroit toured Cincinnati in search of innovation: "Cincinnati reminded me that transformation does not happen quickly, but it’s not exactly gradual, either. 'Incremental' is the better term."

After losing a two-year fight with a Fortune 500 company determined to buy their beautiful, 104-year-old property and turn it into a boutique hotel the women of the Anna Louise Inn have to leave the neighborhood.

The Cincinnati school district has improved both test scores and graduation rates since 2003 while—unlike Atlanta and Washington—transparently pursuing highly collaborative reform strategies that, counter to the current trend, don't rely on rigid hierarchy and punitive accountability.

Cincinnati Reds pitchers are striking out batters at a sizzling pace, and their fans are eating it up. A local restaurant chain promises free pizza for ticket-holders any time Reds pitchers whiff at least 11 opponents.

Cincinnati is on a huge upswing, and is pumping billions of dollars into new development and revitalization. In less than 10 years, the city has transformed itself back into a growing, bustling destination as businesses and residents flock to downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods.

On March 25, the American Underground and CED welcomed Candace Klein, the founder and CEO of Bad Girl Ventures and SoMoLend, to share a little about the “ins and outs” of crowdfunding. With a packed house, Candace started off by challenging those who plan to launch a crowdfunding campaign to share personal stories because the investors are “investing in you, not just your product or idea.”

Downtown Cincinnati has been transforming its downtown hub since the 1990s, with an estimated $1.3 billion invested in projects currently in construction or planning stages, according to Downtown Cincinnati Inc.

The Greater Cincinnati startup scene is diversifying and growing, which is creating opportunities for new types of startup launch platforms. Cincinnati-based Differential is a new company that is leveraging a different type of service and funding model to help startups accelerate their launch.

In his new body of work, Cincinnatian Jim Dine eliminates the iconic figurative objects of his previous paintings to focus on the act of painting itself. The radical shift developed in the studio over two years.

Along the I-71 corridor from Mason—25 miles south to downtown Cincinnati—quality, early-stage companies are emerging at a fast clip. This momentum is creating a talent crunch for the region, and in turn, new career options for recent college graduates.

Never lose track of garbage or recycling day again. Report potholes or graffitti the minute you see it. Keep track of reports you've made to the city. All using your phone. The City of Cincinnati's City Hall app allows you to send in reports and even follow tweets about city services and projects.

Last year, after Ohio became the latest state to legalize casino gambling, its first gaming complex opened in downtown Cleveland. Casinos in Toledo and Columbus appeared soon thereafter, and another is slated for Cincinnati. But will these glitzy institutions deliver the new tax revenues that political and business leaders expect?

After many years and a combined investment of about $10 billion, Ohio’s three largest cities—Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland—are enjoying downtown booms that have added residents, jobs, economic impact and vibrancy.

There is more than meets-the-eye in Over-The-Rhine and its recent (and unlikely) revival. A unique partnership between city leaders, local corporations and private developers helped to pave the way for what is becoming one of America’s greatest smart growth success stories.

ChoreMonster launched an update to their app a few days ago that includes a parents section, a redesign of the kids section, a new Monster Carnival and yes, even a new character named TeeCee exclusively for TechCrunch readers.

When Shane Atchison took the job of CEO at Possible Worldwide in April, he needed a way to get in sync with 1,100 people across 32 offices. Possible, a division of the advertising giant WPP, then acquired three small companies in four months, making the issue even more pressing. How do you build a sense of community when you’ve got people from Poland, Budapest and Moscow connecting with people in Cincinnati or Seattle?

Last week, Deputy Secretary Porcari was in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, with his counterparts from HUD and EPA, reviewing both cities' progress on key projects funded by the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

About a year after changing creative agencies, Famous Footwear has chosen Cincinnati's Empower MediaMarketing for the assignment. The retailer typically spends more than $30 million on media each year.

As librarians across the nation struggle with the task of redefining their roles and responsibilities in a digital age, many public libraries are seeing an opportunity to fill the void created by the loss of traditional bookstores.

The outlines of a new industry are emerging as a few crowdfunding start-ups have found ways to raise money within current rules. They include companies like CircleUp and SoMoLend, which lends money to small, Main Street-type businesses that typically wouldn’t interest private investors.

To further boost "discontinuous innovation," Procter & Gamble is leading the charge in forming Cintrifuse, a $100 million venture capital fund-of-funds in Cincinnati.

The mantra of “discontinuous innovation,” as initiated by P & G CEO Bob McDonald, is based on the notion of technologies that create entirely new brand categories or new capabilities, rather than just improve an existing product. Creating new categories of revenue streams that are not just incremental, but rather disruptive, is the holy grail for large companies.

A device that enables you to learn in your sleep and a low-cost system for improving health care in developing countries are steps closer to reality, thanks to Nissan. Today, Nissan announced that Andrew Saldana of Downey, Calif., Ryan Helsel of Durham, N.C., and Kyle Vath of Cincinnati are the winners of the "Nissan Innovation Garage" campaign, a social media movement designed to inspire and celebrate innovation and provide funding to launch new ideas.

Katie Holmes stars in “Dead Accounts,” a family comedy now in previews at the Music Box Theater, about morality and middle-class Ohio Catholics written by one of their own, Theresa Rebeck, who grew up outside Cincinnati.

One of the Brandery startup tech concepts known as "Ontract" has recently become part of Strive Partnership’s plan to personalize the education each student receives at Cincinnati, Covington or Newport public schools.

Over-The-Rhine’s tipping point wasn’t in the form of an eco-friendly general store or gourmet popsicle shop (it now has both), but rather the renovation of the neighborhood’s cultural heart, Washington Park.

The design for the original Knob Creek Bourbon was highly recognizable and considered legendary by the brand’s fan base, so design agency LPK’s work for the brand’s expansion, which includes Knob Creek Rye, was an exercise in restraint.

“Tell me something unique or quirky about you. Something nobody knows.” Candace Klein, the founder of Bad Girl Ventures andSoMoLend, an online lending platform, was still in high energy last night after presenting her live pitch strategies to several hundred entrepreneurs in Salt Lake. The small dinner group was the denouement of an intense evening. She’d flown in earlier in the day to give her presentation at the University of Utah for Grow America and the local Entrepreneur Circle Meetup. Response was so overwhelming, Grow America EVP Richard Swarthad moved the event to a bigger facility. Twice.

If you haven't been to Cincinnati, it is impossible to imagine how beloved chili is here. The city has its own unique and distinctive chili style reflected mainly in several regional chains like Empress, which claims to have started it all in 1922.

Actor Charlie Sheen, a lifelong Cincinnati Reds fan, has pledged to donate $50,000 to the team’s Community Fund, matching the amount broadcaster Marty Brennaman raised for charity in return for having his head shaved on the field.

It's July 30, and the Reds are tied for the best record in baseball. How does this happen? Joey Votto's been out two weeks and might miss two more. Opening Day third baseman Scott Rolen's been terrible and/or injured. The starting rotation has Johnny Cueto and a bunch of mid-to-back-rotation types. Ryan Madson, the pricey offseason closer signing, never threw a single pitch in Cincinnati.

From Cincinnati's own Ilene Ross: Recently we were visiting one of our favorite chefs, Jose Salazar, at The Palace at The Cincinnatian Hotel to shoot him (with a camera of course) for our story on herbs. We were about to wrap, when Chef Salazar received a phone call and asked us if we could hang out for a bit; his morel purveyor was on his way in with a stellar haul.

Last week, Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory and a bevy of festive accomplices re-opened beautiful, 150-year-old Washington Park, in the heart of the city’s revitalizing Over the Rhine district. It had been closed for 20 months’ worth of renovations and, judging by the spectacular photos, it has been worth the wait. Wow.

President Obama stopped by the iconic Ohio fast food restaurant Skyline Chili this afternoon. Obama, who is in Cincinnati for a campaign speech later today, ordered a four-way with beans and two cheese Coneys (hotdogs). The president took his food to go.

In a post on Cincinnati called “A Midwest Conundrum” the author noted the apparent disconnect between a place that has probably the best collection of assets of any city/region its size in America, and the long-term stagnation the region has experienced.

For Towne Properties, the right market has been the Cincinnati area, and its best-selling amenity has been a “sense of community.” The firm got its start in Mt. Adams—a hilltop neighborhood with views of the city, the Ohio River.

From July 4-14, the World Choir Games, also known as "The Olympics of Choir Music," will take place in Ohio's Queen City (derived from its 19th century status as "Queen of the West"). Some 367 choirs from nearly 50 countries will compete in categories that include jazz, pop, folk, barbershop, gospel and show choirs, as popularized by the hit TV show "Glee."

Developers and planners say the question that cities including Dayton, Toledo, Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland have to answer is not whether to use their riverfronts but how to best link them to city centers to attract new residents and businesses and strengthen their economies.

City officials are trying to make sure Cincinnati will be welcoming, informative and safe as they prepare to host the World Choir Games next month in an event expected to draw tens of thousands of people from around the globe to southwest Ohio.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Cincinnati's own Graeter's Ice Cream as the sixth best ice cream in the country. In addtion to praising the sweet stuff's French Pot swirling process, the national publication cites black raspberry chip as favorite flavor.

Spoiler alert: Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream, of Columbus, Ohio, ranked number one overall. Find Jeni's locally at both Melt and Picnic and Pantry in Northside.

The shoreline of this Ohio River city, which in the 19th century hummed with 30 steamboat visits a day but faded in the 20th as pollution and industrial disinvestment pushed people and businesses inland, is emerging again as a hub of civic and economic vitality.

As an ambitious entrepreneur interested in heading a startup venture, it is important to select the right city to foster your success. While many may assume that Silicon Valley is the only place to be if you want to get noticed and attract investment, the fact is that incredible investment opportunities are readily available elsewhere. What’s more, you may find that a city you hadn’t previously thought of offers an even better opportunity than you imagined. The case for Cincinnati, Ohio can be made with five points.

Cincinnati has taken an especially hands-on approach to reclaiming its waterfront, clearing a path through old highways and industrial parks. This fall, it's slated to open the first phase of a $120 million, 45-acre riverfront park at its center.

Cincinnati has always done an impressive job of mixing past and present -- its most popular attractions are updated versions of places that have drawn visitors for years, including the Museum Center in historic Union Terminal and Fountain Square, which on warm summer nights is crammed with people.

Meet Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory. His mid-sized city is currently engaged in building three important, interconnected urban projects, which could bring a real spark to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. One project will create a new mixed-use neighborhood in between the city’s riverfront stadiums, along with a generous new waterfront park.

Salon.com writes: A great example of urban entertainment is Cincinnati, where, rather than busting in with relocation plans and a branding scheme, the city has designated five neighborhoods Community Entertainment Districts where aspiring restaurateurs can simply get a liquor license directly from the state for about $1,500, rather than on the open market where they cost up to $30,000.

As Toledo Public Schools finds itself in the midst of a political battle over who should run the federally funded Head Start program, it also finds itself in uncharted waters and is looking to Cincinnati Public Schools for inspiration.

Batterii, a Cincinnati-based open-collaboration innovation software venture, has raised $800,000 in seed-stage funding, hired a seasoned West Coast technology executive as its CEO and added six other key executives to its management team.

Today, Duke Energy found out that more than 50,000 commercial and residential electricity users in the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, are dumping Duke and shifting to 100 percent clean energy. Cincinnati is a trendsetter: it is the first city in Ohio, and the first of its size in the nation, to go 100 percent green.

This week in Cincinnati, the Kasich administration brought together GE Aviation, Duke Energy, health-care providers, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, the University of Cincinnati, technical schools and business groups such as the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber to discuss how they can be the business community’s “first responders” to help them fill their employment needs.

Fifth Third Bancorp reported sharply higher first-quarter net income Thursday, thanks in part to the regional bank's stake in the payment processor Vantiv.

Cincinnati-based Fifth Third reported net income of $421 million, or 45 cents per share. That compares with $88 million, or 10 cents per share, reported in the same period last year. Analysts surveyed by FactSet expected the bank to earn 35 cents per share, on average.

Hospitals in the Cincinnati region had more than 3,500 job openings at the end of 2011, a 26 percent increase from 2010, according to the newest annual vacancy report by Greater Cincinnati Health Council released Wednesday.

Cincinnati Council could soon pass a new ordinance to give owners of littered properties an added incentive to clear them of trash. Member P.G. Sittenfeld announced the plan this morning in the West End. He said litter is the single most frequent complaint to the city.

SpringBoard is a program from ArtWorks of Cincinnati made possible in part by an ArtPlace grant of $150,000. The goal is to provide artisans and creative entrepreneurs with business development training and a collaborative work space in the city’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, which will be home to a proposed streetcar line.

When Michael Keating moved to Lakeside Park, Ky., in 1981, life was just opening up for him. He had been a staff photographer at The Cincinnati Enquirer for two years and his wife, Sarah, was pregnant with their first child. He went on to work for the Enquirer until earlier this year.

In a world where image is key, start-ups often find themselves playing catch up. Marketing advice for start-ups is now available through relatively new "incubator" programs, like the Brandery, a Cincinnati-based program that pairs tech start-up founders with mentors from big marketers like Procter & Gamble, as well as major branding agencies.

Events calendars in Cincinnati most days are chock full of festivals, music jamborees and museum events from cultural staples such as the Cincinnati Ballet, Opera and Symphony. This year, the city will get a chance to poke its chest out a little farther than normal.

Now in beta, Ohio-based Share Some Sugar aims to enable neighbors to “share what you have and borrow what you need". Toward that end, owners and borrowers both begin by signing up with the site and creating a profile, including the neighborhood in which they live.

On the excellent chance that someone in Hollywood feels either GQ's or Esquire's magazine story belongs on the big screen, I humbly suggest one more set of rights to snap up: Those to Jonah Ogles' Cincinnati Magazine piece on the Zanesville animal massacre.

I sometimes forget what a rich cultural resource we Lexingtonians have in Cincinnati, just 80 miles north of us. I am reminded of it every time I head there for a premier event, such as the recent performance by Shen Yun, the New York-based company famous for its classical Chinese ethnic and folk dancing.

When Chris Seelbach ran for Cincinnati council last year, a platform plank was to make the city more inclusive, more fair, and increase benefits to everyone. Voters responded by overwhelmingly electing Seelbach, making him the first openly gay Cincinnati official.

Seelbach’s first legislative initiative would establish health and pension benefits for unmarried partners of city employees, same-sex and opposite sex.

The measure passed its first reading 8-1 on January 11, Seelbach’s second council meeting. It also has the support of Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.

US Airways is launching a nonstop service between the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport and Reagan National Airport outside Washington. The airline on Monday said the service would begin in May.

Powering any city with 100 percent renewable energy sources without any significant cost increase for consumers is a no-brainer, right? The answer is definitely “yes” in Cincinnati, Ohio, where city officials are working on a deal that could have only renewable electrons flowing across the city by this summer.

Reading to dogs and reading outdoors are encouraged at The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County in Cincinnati. Those are just some of the ways librarians here get children to engage with literacy programs.

This month high schools and K-12 schools across Cincinnati installed student and school-friendly vending machines that feed kids in less than 20 seconds, are visually stimulating and USDA-approved to distribute healthy meals.

Here is the top 10 most literate cities for 2011, which includes Cincinnati, as ranked by Central Connecticut State University President Jack Miller, based on data that includes number of bookstores, library resources, newspaper circulation and Internet resources.

By the mid-1950s, Reds fans had grown accustomed to seeing African-American players the likes of Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays and Hank Aaron -- as visiting ballplayers. It wasn't until Frank Robinson walked into Crosley Field in 1956 that Cincinnati finally had a black baseball superstar of its own.

Ivy League senior Ethan Carlson recently turned down a job with a global-energy consulting practice and instead pledged to spend two years working for an entrepreneur with Venture for American, perhaps with a focus on renewable energy, in a struggling U.S. city, which may be Cincinnati.

This week we meet Nordic chef Rene Redzepi, author of Noma, Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine. The Sterns are at Hathaway's Coffee Shop in Cincinnati, OH and Jenna Woginrich gives advice on raising egg-laying chickens in the city.

Oscar-winning actor Ben Kingsley will star in the latest movie set to film in Ohio, which has been courting Hollywood with state tax incentives. The Ohio Department of Development said Tuesday that credits totaling more than $1.5 million have been approved for two more movies.

Sarah Yost, a sophomore at Miami University Middletown, has always dreamed of being a nurse. Still a few years from graduation, she’s already getting valuable experience through the use of high-tech equipment, including a mannequin that simulates everything from heart attacks to bowel obstructions.

Ivy League senior Ethan Carlson recently turned down a job with a global-energy consulting practice and instead pledged to spend two years working for an entrepreneur, perhaps with a focus on renewable energy, in a struggling U.S. city, including Cincinnati.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich was expected Monday to announce plans for training programs at three community colleges that will aim to provide certain groups of people with job skills and employment services.

The work force development initiative would include one-year pilot programs at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Columbus State Community College and Lorain County Community College in Elyria.

Barry Larkin was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame on Monday with plenty of room to spare.

The former Cincinnati Reds shortstop was chosen on 495 of 573 ballots (86 percent) in voting announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, well above the necessary 75 percent. Larkin was on the ballot for the third time after falling 75 votes short last year.

In Cincinnati they heat things up with heaping bowls of chili cooked until practically melted, with additions such as warm spices like cinnamon, cocoa powder, allspice, and cloves, and a touch of sweet molasses. Served over spaghetti and topped with hearty beans, cheese, and onion, it’s like no chili you have had before, but definitely one you’ll make over and over again.

Candace Klein, local attorney and entrepreneur will be at Launch for a FREE event for female business women and owners to learn more about how to acquire funding for their small business venture goals or launch or run their own businesses.

The uncertainty in Congress over the future of funding for the nation’s transportation programs has not yet hit local transit authorities, which will collectively spend billions of dollars this year on enhancements to their local public transportation networks. At least 33 metropolitan areas in the U.S. — and five in Canada — are planning to invest in new BRT, streetcar, light rail, metro rail, or commuter rail projects in 2012, including Cincinnati.

Friends say Brunner is a perfect fit as new president and CEO of the Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority. The 52-year-old real estate executive and former CPA has the experience and connections to make deals work.

Cincinnati journalist Julie Zimmerman writes, "When I moved to Ohio, which Florida cites as the third most "stuck" state in America, I, like Florida, assumed many people lived here because they lacked the chance to move somewhere better. I thought at the time I’d be here two years, maybe three, before moving onto the next opportunity."

Last week, my colleagues released a paper that, in part, touted a successful community-school partnership in Cincinnati. Together, more than 300 nonprofits, schools, businesses, community providers, and other organizations, collaborate to provide ongoing support and education for children within their community from “cradle to career.”

At Taste of Belgium's two locations in Cincinnati, chef Jean-François Flechet serves what he calls "the authentic Belgian waffle." The recipe, which is native to Liège, produces a cake-like doughy pastry that reminds me of...well, it's tough to say.

The City of Cincinnati is the latest municipality to join FlowWorks. Beginning immediately, the city is moving its environmental monitoring data onto the FlowWorks web platform where it can be securely stored, edited, analyzed and turned into actionable information.

Two professors from Wellesley College’s Department of Computer science have been awarded a nearly half million dollar National Science Foundation grant to build an application that gauges the trustworthiness of information shared on social networks, and in particular Twitter.

Separately, a pair of University of Cincinnati computer science students will have to wait for their Twitter payday, but they’ve got a good start by creating a Web-based app called Tweetographer that helps users mine for useful data in Twitter about what’s going on in their area.

Quarterback Andy Dalton inadvertently added to his celebrity at Texas Christian University when he rushed water to save a dog suffering from heat prostration. Now, backed by one of the NFL's staunchest defenses, he is working to reinvigorate a Cincinnati Bengals franchise that has known more than its share of dog days.

Following a successful launch last year, the Procter & Gamble Company is once again highlighting the benefits of many of its innovative brands via the Have You Tried This Yet? program, a comprehensive campaign designed to highlight innovative products for self, family and home, each delivering great performance.

While Cincinnati did make the Daily Beasts' list of 25 worst cities for young people, it ranks ahead of cities like Honolulu, Virginia Beach, Seattle and others. The rankings are based on unemployment rates, percentage of marriages, debt and a few other categories.

Cincinnati and Charlotte, N.C., are similar in size and culture, and now they are going head to head in an effort to gain the favor of Chiquita. The fruit company is considering moving its Cincinnati headquarters, taking more than 300 jobs with it. Using Twitter to communicate directly with the company's chief executive officer, Fernando Aguirre, both cities are fighting for the jobs, in what is now being called, 'The Tale of Two Hashtags."

Jim Price is a decided contradiction to that old adage that "the first generation creates and the second preserves." Yes, Mr. Price is the son of Empower founder Mary Beth Price -- a former Advertising Age Media Maven -- and Empower's chairman and former CEO, Bill Price. But since the younger Mr. Price, 34, became president of the agency in 2009 and CEO late last year, he's hardly been standing pat.

In October, the city of Cincinnati celebrates the one-year anniversary of the launch of its enhanced recycling program and the implementation of the Recyclebank rewards program. The city of Cincinnati can now boast a 49 percent increase in the tonnage of recyclables collected in the past six months compared with the same period in 2010.

In Greater Cincinnati, leaders of the education, nonprofit, community, civic and philanthropic sectors are working together to tackle some of our most pressing challenges, and to take advantage of some of our biggest opportunities to achieve these results for every child, cradle to career.

Cincinnati is something of a U.S. broadcast Mecca, with a great deal of pioneering taking place in the region. Located just north of the city in the former home of the VOA's Bethany shortwave transmitting plant is a relatively new entry in broadcast equipment collections

Cincinnati-based developer Develco Inc. helps with a park, which is one of the main catalysts for revitalizing downtown Springfield, which is one of the five goals for the Greater Springfield Moving Forward initiative.

FotoFocus, a nonprofit arts organization, announces the October 2012 launch of its first biennial month-long regional celebration of historical and contemporary photography and lens-based art. On Friday, Oct. 14, 2011, 7 to 10 p.m., in collaboration with 3CDC’s Fountain Square Rocktober Series, FotoFocus will preview highlights of the October 2012 upcoming event with video works and still images from featured exhibitions.

President Obama was back on the road on Thursday to sell his jobs plan — at an aging and overtaxed bridge connecting the home states of his chief Republican antagonists in Congress, Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate minority leader.

In a broad effort, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, Rocco Landesman, has helped to enlist an unusual consortium of foundations, corporations and federal agencies that will use cultural enterprises to anchor and enliven 34 projects around the country, one of which is ArtWorks in Cincinnati.

Two young women in Cincinnati are testing the fringes of Fabulous Fifties nostalgia by selling reproductions of 1955 police mug shots. And their company, Larken Design, has found such a good response here that it is expanding.

Hello, second favorite music festival! Taking a backseat (pun intended) to only SXSW, Midpoint Music Festival, or MPMF, is my top pick of fests. MPMF takes place in downtown Cincy from September 22-24, and my favorite thing about it is what I like dearly about SXSW, anything can be a venue. Art museum? Sure! Let’s throw up a stage and have music! My only wish: Comedy and day parties.

But to what you came here for, the schedule. The lineup is outstanding, and we give you our personal guarantee that you’ll have a great time. We’ll throw down some previews and suggestions in the coming weeks, but make sure you go ahead and plan accordingly from this schedule. Enjoy.

For the second year in a row, Cincinnati's Taft Information Technology High School has earned a rating of "Excellent" on its Ohio Report Card from the Ohio Department of Education. Taft is one of three high schools in the Cincinnati Public Schools district to receive the "Excellent" rating for the 2010-2011 school year. This year's performance continues the school's dramatic 10-year transformation to one of the city's top-performing high schools.

Procter and Gamble, one of the largest consumer goods companies in the
world, claims that well over 22 million Pakistanis have benefited from
its corporate social responsibility initiatives over the course of the
two decades the firm has had a presence in Pakistan.

Candace Kendle, the co-founder and former chairwoman and CEO of global
clinical research firm Kendle International, is the latest addition to
the UPS board. The Cincinnati company was acquired by INC Research LLC
for $232 million last month.

After a $48.9 million renovation by Cooper, Robertson and the
landscape architects Olin, Fountain Square is a lively plaza with
parklike plantings, a giant LED board, and a full calendar of events.
(The fountain also now sits in a sunnier location, thanks to Olin's
landscape design.) 3CDC estimates that the renovation, completed in
2008, has generated $125 million in further investment around the
square.

Hip City Guide Complex.com rates top dogs from around the country. While
usual suspects rank at the very top -- Chicago, Brooklyn, Boston, San
Francisco -- OTR's Senate makes a mouth-watering entry at number six.

Zayo Group, a provider of bandwidth infrastructure services, plans to expand its fiber network in Cincinnati adding several miles to the central business district and doubling its on-net building count.

Cintas introduced new shirts for casino workers that are partly made from recycled plastic bottles. Each shirt uses five recycled bottles, and comes in five different colors that are machine-washable. Cintas also has a recycled apparel line for hospital staff including scrubs and polo shirts.

Leaders in Cincinnati and two neighboring cities in Kentucky are working together on a comprehensive approach, "cradle to career," on education. What began as scattershot approaches turned into a highly coordinated approach to the full education continuum.

Kroger responds to the BPA-free movement by banning the BPA chemical from its store brand canned foods and receipts. Although there is no scientific evidence that minimal exposure to BPA is unsafe, consumers have raised a concern and Kroger wants to serve and honor their concerns.

The BrandZ top 100 Most Valuable Global consumer-facing brands rank General Electric, parent company of GE Aviation in Evendale at number ten and Procter & Gamble's Gillette and Pampers rank in the top 40.

Tech Cocktail's list of the top Startup accelerator and incubator programs in the U.S. was determined by three components including qualified financing events, success of the companies that came out of an accelerator, and accelerator program characteristics. The Brandery in Cincinnati ranked #10 of 15 programs.

Chiquita Brands International Inc. has signed a 16-month extension keeping the consumer-products company downtown through 2012. That gives Chiquita more time to negotiate a headquarters retention agreement with the state of Ohio or relocate to another state.

Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart have expanded their partnership to produce more family-friendly films geared towards all ages. The two corporations have already made four films for "Family Movie Night," which have shown or will plan to be shown on major television networks such as NBC and Fox.

Due to the successful collaboration with RecycleBank recycling rewards program in Cincinnati, Procter & Gamble will expand its collaboration nationwide. This partnership further promotes P & G's and RecycleBank's mission of educating the public and rewarding consumers for protecting and improving the environment.

TUSC.com, a sports fan website, ranked Cincinnati number 19 among top cities that hosted popular TUSC events. Sports fans had the ability to share experiences of the sporting venues and events, ranking Cincinnati as a host for 14 of the top sporting events in the world.

Educated 20- and 30-somethings are flocking to live downtown in the USA's largest cities - even urban centers that are losing population. Cincinnati gained 28% from 2000 to 2009 in 25- to 34-year-olds who have a four-year degree or higher and live within 3 miles of a metro area's central business district.

The National Association for Female Executives ranked the top 50 companies for women leaders, recognizing the important qualities a woman brings to the company. Procter & Gamble and Macy's are among the fifty to make the list.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (TEVA) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG) agreed to combine their consumer-health businesses outside North America in a joint venture that aims to capture more of the $200 billion market for over-the-counter medicines.

Cincinnati Reds fans can look forward to a more interactive experience with their favorite players this baseball season. Three kiosks will allow them to conduct "virtual" interviews with their favorite players starting on opening day, March 31, at Great American Ballpark.

Procter & Gamble looks to students for design and invention ideas by working with a University of Cincinnati affiliated design non-profit organization, Live Well Collaborative. Students invented a new cap for Tide detergent to better assist the elderly, created better hospital gowns, and invented a medicine delivery system for Alzheimer's patients.

Cincinnati's Strive Together partnership represents a successful collaboration of numerous organizations- government, civil society, and business - to make a difference. Strive Together focuses on helping children in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky achieve success from "cradle to career" to remain competitive in the global economy.

Kiplinger selected its 10 Best Cities for Commuters, ranking Cincinnati at number seven. These cities have the easiest and most affordable commutes, while taking into consideration the population and low congestion costs. Cincinnati features two-bus services, and the future addition of the streetcar.

Procter & Gamble continues to promote green sustainability by pursuing LEED qualification for offices around the world. A new plant currently being constructed in China represents the beginning of this commitment and features green technologies involving the water system, lighting system, and waste management. Other factories in the U.S. and other countries are currently trying to meet any local green standards.

The Midwest continues to have blossoming entrepreneurship due to venture capital investments, programs and investment in public dollars, and strength developments. Cincinnati's Brandery is a part of this growth working with entrepreneurs in short-term education programs. Cincinnati is also building a consumer marketing hub around Procter & Gamble's global headquarters, growing and leveraging its strengths.

Jose Salazar, chef at The Palace, ranked as one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of the Great Lakes. A graduate of the New York Restaurant School, Salazar is known for reinterpreting humble ingredients in brilliant ways. His must-try dish is his French onion soup with cipollini onions stuffed with caramelized Vidalias and topped with Gruyère crisps.

Despite the down-fall of the economy, the Midwest proves to ditch its "loser reputation" and to be more successful than other regions. Cincinnati ranked among 4 other Midwestern cities for the most personal-income growth in the last decade. Midwest cities will start to become a model for effective economic development rather than looked down upon.

Procter & Gamble targets Downy fabric softener as a sleep aid for sleep-deprived Americans. Studies have shown that clean, fresh-scented sheets help people sleep better. P & G will campaign with the footage from the 7-day live window display challenge with comedian Mike Birbiglia who will talk with fans, interact on-line, and sleep.

Forbes ranked Cincinnati number five of fifty most affordable U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The data looked at a combination of affordable real estate and a healthy ratio of income to living costs. The Midwestern metro dominated the bargain city list, being the most highly attractive for those seeking an affordable lifestyle.

The world got its first Groupon marriage proposal, or "Grouposal," as the popular deal-making site is calling it. A Cincinnati man by the name of Greg offered to marry his girlfriend, Dana, for the low price of $1. This is just the latest in a string of high-tech marriage proposals. People have proposed via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, Google Street View and iPhone apps.

David Ginsburg, President and CEO of Downtown Cincinnati Inc., was designated the Nonprofit Executive Director of the Year award by Smart Business. Ginsburg focuses on helping Downtown Cincinnati promote vitality by working with partners to improve the city and make downtown the "dynamic metropolitan center valued as the heart of the region." Ginsburg has worked with the organization for more than fifteen years.

Cincinnati landed the number seven spot on Bundle's most charitable cities in America. The survey collected data for the month of December, which is the most giving month of the year. Bundle used numbers for online donations per 1,000 people, the average online donation amount per 1,000 people, the number of nonprofit associations by city, and the average spending on charity from July 2009 to June 2010.

Procter & Gamble celebrates its 6th year of supporting the Middle East's disabled community through Special Olympics' Middle East and North Africa (MENA) campaign. P&G donates 1 dirham for every purchase of their participating brands to demonstrate their commitment to helping the Arab community with opportunities to develop self esteem and physical fitness for the disabled.

Cincinnati ranked second on Daily Finance's "11 Best Cities for Telecommuters" due to its diverse attractions, universities, and affordable living. Daily Finance considered many factors and chose cities with a big-city experience at a small-town price. Cincinnati has plenty to offer as the headquarters for nine Fortune 500 Companies, the host of America's largest Oktoberfest celebration, the second-most fit city in the nation, and the "chili capital of the world."

Macy's prepares across the nation for a series of special events and displays for children and adults for the upcoming holidays. Despite the low purchasing rate due to the economy, Macy's has high hopes for the season by creating a magical setting to inspire the joy of the holidays. One of the events includes the "Nutcracker Market Fashion Show," celebrating the Houston Ballet and giving the proceeds to the Houston Ballet Foundation's academy and scholarship program.

Companies across the nation use social media, such as Linkedln, Facebook, and Twitter, to leverage and strengthen the workforce. Bridge Worldwide, a digital and relationship marketing company, promotes exchanging ideas through several avenues such as posting them on the company's internal sites and on the organization's Facebook group. This allows the people to learn about the company and to contribute to an ongoing conversation.

Unlike other major companies that flee from African countries, Procter & Gamble plans to stay in Nigeria and build a new plant. They are focused on long-term investment in Nigeria by working in partnership with the Nigerian government. Nigeria will be the business and manufacturing hub for P&G in West Africa and beyond.

Urban STL compares the riverfronts of St. Louis and Cincinnati. Although St. Louis has the presence of the famous Saarinen's Arch, Urban STL praises Cincinnati for its more active, inviting, and interesting Central Riverfront Park, it's two stadiums, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the Moerlein Lager House.

Fifth Third announced it sold $228 million of residential loans and made $962 million of commercial loans available for sale in the third quarter. Many view this as a positive long-term decision instead of a credit shock because Fifth third has the capital adequacy and earnings power to absorb the unexpected provision. Even though Fifth Third sold "dud loans," the bank in still considered healthy as opposed to unhealthy banks that cannot sell loans at all.

As part of their new campaign, "Have You Tried This Yet?," Procter & Gamble opened a 10-day 'pop-up' store in New York City to promote 18 of its new products. The store is divided into demo areas where customers can interact with the products and receive complimentary samples. P & G wants customers to understand the value and performance of its products by keeping the customers engaged with this temporary store.

The Dalai Lama received a $25,000 freedom award in Cincinnati and gave back the money to the National Underground Freedom Center to support the downtown museum.Tthe Dalai Lama stated that he was touched after viewing the exhibit on slavery and human exploitation and wanted to give back to the community.

Procter & Gamble continues to practice environmental sustainability by setting the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy and recycled materials for all products and packaging in the future. The company plans to replace 25 percent of its petroleum-based materials with renewable materials and also aims to ensure that zero consumer and manufacturing waste go to landfills.

Due to the recent devastating floods in Pakistan, Procter & Gamble is taking part in an initiative to provide 28 million water purification kits. P&G teamed up with the U.S. Government, who will provide $1 million along with P&G's $500,000 and other contributor's $500,000, to purchase the kits that will generate 280 million liters of clean drinking water for 1.5 million people in need.

MassTransit, sponsored by New Flyer, published its 2010 Top 40 Under 40 Award, recognizing the leadership and dedication of individuals in business. SORTA'S Colin Groth made the list, as he rose to the position of government relations director due to his commitment, professionalism, and work ethic with political environments of local, regional and national governments. Groth is now a part of the development of the intermodal transit center in Cincinnati. He is actively involved with the community and will help improve the public transportation system by meeting the community's needs and enhancing Cincinnati's competitiveness in the global economy.

Cincinnati ranked among the top 50 "Twitter Cities" reported by NetProspex. The sales and marketing database company looked at the cities with the most activity on Twitter by businesspeople. They assessed the average number of tweets and the average number of followers of U.S. professionals to compile this new, unique list.

Working Mother Magazine published its Best 100 Companies for 2010, recognizing two Cincinnati-based companies, Procter & Gamble and TriHealth. The survey measured seven areas including work force profile, benefits, women's issues and advancement, childcare, company culture, flexible work, and parental leave. P&G has 43% women in its workforce ;TriHealth has 83%.

David Singleton, executive director at the Ohio Justice and Policy Center, helps fight for ex-offenders to have a fair chance at employment. Singleton, along with other local governments in various states, suggests banning the criminal history section on a job application. CNN also featured Dr. Victoria Garcia, an Ohio professor of surgery and pediatrics, who believes there is a direct relation between unemployment and gun violence.

The grocery business is a tough and competitive market, but Kroger keeps quarterly earnings going by focusing on service instead of cutting prices. Numbers of loyal shoppers grew as Kroger improved customer service and targeted coupons. The business finds it important and necessary to keep customers happy before competing with prices from different stores.

The nationally recognized event for web professionals, the HighEdWed Conference, will come to Cincinnati in October. This social media event features multiple presentations, hands-on experience, and networking activities.

Procter & Gamble plans to compress all of its U.S. and Canadian powdered laundry detergents in order to contribute to green choices. This change will reduce fuel consumption for transport and reduce packaging. The existing detergents will still be as efficient, cleaning the same number of loads as previous detergents.

P&G wants to reach the goal of being "the most technology-enabled company in the world" in order to improve performance levels all around. The company also strives to trim costs and create flexibility by building brands that last for decades.

The streetcar built in 2001 in Portland, Oregon has now inspired other cities, including Cincinnati, to build streetcars in a time of rebirth for the city. Portland's streetcar proved to be a successby transforming a neighborhood with boutiques, condos, and restaurants. The U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded 258.6 million dollars for streetcars in various cities.

Somaxon Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Procter & Gamble have partnered to co-promote Silenor, an insomnia treatment, to doctors and pharmacies. P&G will place 215 sales representatives in the U.S. to target primary-care doctors and high-prescribing physicians. This renewable deal lasts until 2012 and allows P&G to develop and market Silenor as an over-the-counter medication.

With the Cyclones winning two Kelly Cups in the past three seasons, and the team providing excellent value to its fans, attendance is continuing to rise in Cincinnati. For the third straight year, the Cyclones led the ECHL in percentage of attendance increased, with an increase of 29.2%, or 783 fans a game. This past season the Cyclones drew a total of 190,663 fans, including the postseason. The previous high in Cincinnati was 145,121 fans.

Macy's recently launched an affordable 'Glee' clothing line with graphic tees to hoodies, based off the new hit TV show. Many stores will also host special events and themed window designs associated with the show. If the line proves to be a success, more items will soon hit the shelves.

Kroger expands its number of store brand items by making a push into beauty products. This expansion helps buyers trim spending during the recession and increases profit for the company. New products are expected out this fall.

For the eighth month in a row, Macy's continues to beat it's rival, JC Penny's, in same-store sales. Macy's merchandising strategy of introducing a mix of merchandise rather than lowering prices has proven to be a large success as the company always looks at consumer preferences in order to maintain their success rate in the market.

Procter & Gamble will be launching its new hand-dishwashing brand, Gain, as the company aims its promotion at Hispanic shoppers. Studies have shown that the Hispanic population is growing in numbers while it's also younger than the population as a whole. The marketing campaign will be led by a Hispanic ad agency.

P&G Brand Manager, Mark Jeffrey, is the founder of "Go Vibrant Cincinnati," an initiative that promotes a healthy lifestyle in Cincinnati. The program includes a coalition of more than 25 Cincinnati-based organizations promoting public fitness challenges, creating more biking and walking paths, and adding healthy menus in city restaurants. The ultimate goal is to make Cincinnati one of the top ten healthiest cities within the next ten years.

Bloomberg Businessweek published Top Cities for New College Grads, ranking cities with strong job opportunities, average pay, and affordable living costs. Cincinnati ranked number 23 due to the presence of industries such as manufacturing, wholesale and retail trade, and insurance. Cincinnati also attracts sports lovers with the country's first professional baseball team, the Reds, and the Bengals.

Since 1983, Kroger has been involved in the fight against hunger. Kroger's latest donation of $200,000 will be shared with Freestore/Foodbank of Cincinnati, Shared Harvest of Butler County, the Foodbank of Dayton, Your Father's Table of Wilmington, and Second Harvest of Clark and Champaign Counties. The contributions come from the company, campaigns, and customer support through purchases of select items.

Procter & Gamble was selected by Black Enterprise to this year's list of "40 Best Companies for Diversity." The list was based on four different categories including employee base, senior management, board of directors, and supplier diversity; P&G's strengths included the categories of board of directors and senior management. During the recession, African American and other ethnic groups employment rates have risen but the companies that made the list demonstrated a consistent effort of keeping diversity within their company.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland granted $250,000 to Cincinnati companies to create marketing positions in order to strengthen businesses and generate job opportunities in the area. This grant will help the city recover from the recession by creating 200,000 jobs by 2020 with global brand-building partners such as Bridge Worldwide, Landor, and AC Nielsen/Bizzmetrics. Because Cincinnati is known around the world for its consumer good's corporations, officials hope to attract new talent to the area for growth.

The Cincinnati and Akron Minority Business Development Organizations have been awarded $150,000 in support of initiatives for minority and disadvantaged businesses. These funds will help strengthen minority-owned businesses and create new job opportunities for Ohio's diverse workforce. The two organizations will collaborate with EDGE Mentoring Program in order to promote and foster a healthy business climate for all workers in Ohio.

Sales continue to rise in India as Procter & Gamble expands in the world's second-most-populous country. Although this push in India is a challenge due to local competition and traditions, P&G finds sales growing at 20 percent a year. In order to bring in more consumers, P&G continues to lower prices and sends marketers to villages to promote the benefits of their products.

In 2008, Macy's launched "My Macy's" in twenty different locations in order to localize different stores by using locally based district merchants. St. Louis proves to be a success by boosting profits in prom dress selection. The customization of each store led to a $23 million dollar increase in profit within the first quarter for Macy's.

Fifth Third Bank launched a new music and entertainment private banking division in Nashville, Tennessee. The Cincinnati based bank hired a music producer, Will Byrd, in order to accommodate artists and workers associated with the entertainment industry. This launched increased the staff by 20 percent and doubled the number of mortgage loan officers.

P&G's Dawn liquid dish detergent started its campaign for cleaning birds and marine animals harmed by oil spills in the Gulf last summer. Since 1989, Dawn has been the best product for this use on animals. Recently they sent 7,000 bottles to the Gulf.

Greater Cincinnati ranks nationally as the eighth most improved housing market for 2010. A report by Cincinnati USA and the North Kentucky Chamber of Commerce says the worst of the recession in the area is over. Sales in greater Cincinnati were down in the first two months of the year but rebounded in March and April as buyers tried to take advantage of the tax credit.

Jim Stengel, a former Procter & Gamble Chief Marketing Officer, was chosen by the Ad Council to help lead Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign against childhood obesity. Stengel, still a Cincinnati-based marketing consultant, states this will be the biggest challenge ever because the answer to childhood obesity is behavior change, but when the campaign is right, it makes a huge impact.

Kroger plans to expand its stores in Richmond, Virginia with its three year expansion plan of refurbishing a dozen stores, adding three fuel-stations, and opening two more stores. The expansion shows the economic success of Kroger as they add more jobs to the area and continue to be a low-price leader among traditional supermarkets.

Procter and Gamble's hair care line, Pantene, reinvents itself again in order to reconnect with consumers. According to Business Week, some of the big ideas behind more than two years of research and reformulation include both an "atomic force microscope, similar to one used on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, and micro-computed tomography, used to measure bone density" to ensure the shampoos were truly making hair healthier.

Time named 100 people who most affect our world in their annual Time 100. Zaha Hadid, the designer of the Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art (CAC), ranked under Time's list of "Thinkers," who create work with a sense of passion and a universal touch. The Contemporary Arts Center was Hadid's first completed project in the United States.

Procter & Gamble's Tide Dry Cleaners works to open multiple franchised dry cleaning locations by expanding to Atlanta. With the success of its sister company, Mr. Clean Car Wash, which is the largest full service car wash franchise in the U.S., Tide Dry Cleaners hopes to touch more consumers with their GreenEarth cleaning process and drive-thru service.

The temporary exhibit "Without Sanctuary: Lynching photography in America" at the National Underground Freedom Center reached the attendance record of 15,000 people since its opening day in January. Unsure of how the exhibit would be received with its controversial photographs, this number set a record of attendance for temporary exhibits at the museum.

Last month, Urbanophile's founder, Aaron Renn, visited Cincinnati to participate in a panel on the casino at Broadway Commons. While here Renn took a look around Cincinnati (on a guided tour with Soapbox's Randy Simes) and shared some of his observations and insights in a follow-up Soapblog. His latest photoessay on Cincinnati's neighborhoods takes a long look at the city's great resources and development challenges.

A lifelong fan of the Reds for 87 years, Ralph Thacker attended the 75th anniversary Red's game at the Great American Ball Park while remembering his first Red's game at Crosley Field in 1935. Thacker was one of more than 20,000 fans who filed into Cincinnati's Crosley Field to watch the Reds beat the Phillies, 2-1, in the first night game in Major League Baseball history on May 24, 1935.

A former resident of Cincinnati embraces the growth and diversity of her native city. For the short weekend visit, the "old hometowner" explored the beautiful and different lively spots along the river, the abundance of art offered around the city, the taste of real Cincinnati in Northside, and the variety of local chili parlors and bakery's. The expanded and lively city still continues to surprise former natives and first-time visitors with its sophistication, charm, intelligence and attitude the city possesses.

Procter & Gamble celebrated the fourth year of "My Black is Beautiful Day," honoring P&G's efforts in empowering African American women to embrace their beauty, health, and wellness. This celebration was held at Cincinnati's headquarters thanking both employees and civic leaders for supporting the program. The campaign shows P & G's hard work and commitment at improving the lives of consumers with their products.

Procter & Gamble continues their commitment to environmental sustainability by launching the Supplier Environmental Sustainability Scorecard. This rating system requires input from P & G suppliers regarding environmental information. It helps the companies as well as consumers make smart buying decisions as they look at how much of an impact products have on the environment.

USA Today takes a look at cities working to improve their downtown areas with more parks and pedestrian friendly areas. Cincinnati's Banks and Riverfront projects will reconnect downtown to the Ohio river with 16 acres of unused space for development and 40 acres for a park on the banks of the river.

The Cincinnati Riverfront Park is being recognized as one of the best new urban parks in America even before it is completed. Phase 1 of the multi-phase project is currently underway and will eventually create a new 45-acre park on Cincinnati's central riverfront.

The new park will also be the crown jewel of Cincinnati's larger efforts to reconnect its downtown with the Ohio River after having long been disconnected by an interstate and freight railroad lines. The park will also be integrated into the city's proposed modern streetcar system that will connect it with the rest of the Central Business District, the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and communities surrounding the University of Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker is excited about the return of MLB's Civil Rights Game to Cincinnati for the second consecutive year, and sees the weekend of events as a positive thing for a city with a rich Civil Rights history.

MLB Commissioner walked away from last year's Civil Rights Game impressed with Cincinnati's ability to host marque events and decided to send the game back to Cincinnati in 2010, and vowed to get an All-Star Game back to the Queen City.

MLB Fanhouse took a look around Major League Baseball to examine some of the most creative promotional deals being used to get more fans out to the ballpark. In that analysis the Cincinnati Reds were recognized for three different promotional efforts.

The Reds will be giving out a turf growing kit so that fans can have a piece of Great American Ball Park; a replica jersey for the first African-American Reds baseball player; and the team will allow local boy and girl scouts to camp out on the field at Great American Ball Park late in the season.

Procter & Gamble, the world's largest consumer products company, is expanding its 'Future Friendly' marketing effort that promotes environmental responsibility under the guise of consumer education. P&G hopes to eventually reach 50 million U.S. households by the end of 2010 with this effort.

A recent consumer survey indicated that 74 percent of consumers would switch to another brand if they were able to conserve resources while not having to pay more, and 34 percent said a lack of information was the reason they didn't lead a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle.

Following a complete redesign, Harvard Business Journal will perform its first regional marketing campaign in Cincinnati as a result of the region's strong business climate.

The marketing campaign in Cincinnati is meant to give the magazine's team insight into the changing needs of established and up-and-coming business professionals. The HBJ team also hopes to grow the magazine's reach into the Cincinnati market from the 1,000 subscribers currently in the region.

Cincinnati-based Macy's has been ranked as one of America's most valuable retail brands in 2010. The ranking saw upward movement amongst value retailers, but Macy's was able to hold its position even in a tough economy.

Macy's is one of the largest retailers in the nation and began a national brand campaign in 2006 to expand and convert store identities over to the now national Macy's brand.

Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble is known for being the world's largest advertiser and consumer goods company, but it is also the world's 6th most admired company according to a recent Fortune Magazine survey.

P&G was particularly noted for its dedication to innovation and the consumers the company serves. Also ranking at the top of the list with P&G was Apple, Google, Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson, and Amazon.com.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig said that he was impressed with Cincinnati when he visited during last year's inaugural Civil Rights Game, and that Cincinnati deserves an upcoming All-Star Game.

The 150th anniversary of professional baseball will take place in 2019 and would seem to make Cincinnati a perfect fit for the game since it was the nation's first professional baseball team. Local leaders also look forward to a future event that will be able to showcase a completed Central Riverfront Park, The Banks development, and the city's proposed modern streetcar system that will service Great American Ball Park and the potential All-Star Game festivities.

More than 200 people attended the Broadway Commons casino charrette in Over-the-Rhine to discuss what they would like, and not like, to see with the new casino to be developed at the northeast downtown location.

Many of the top concerns revolved around potential light and noise pollution, and creating a casino that is energy efficient. Residents also stated that they're looking for a casino development that is beautiful and adds to the existing beauty of the neighborhood and center city amenities.

Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble is looking to sprint out of the current recession by "pulling out all the stops" at the Vancouver Olympic Games. The world's largest consumer products company will reportedly spend in excess of $22 million at the Games.

The increased advertising presence of the world's largest advertiser was a major aid for the United States Olympic team that had lost one of its biggest sponsors in General Motors due to the recession. P&G has an annual advertising budget of around $8 billion.

Freedom Center CEO & President Donald Murphy says that the museum is "tremendously honored" that His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, will accept the award. Previous award recipients include Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks and former Presidents Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush for their work to raise money for survivors of Hurricane Katrina and the South Asian tsunami.

Scotts will begin selling Cincinnati Reds-branded grass seed and fertilizer this year based off of the products used at Great American Ball Park. The products will be available in select markets.

In order to make the deal happen, Scotts has signed a licensing deal with Major League Baseball. The final products will be available in Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, Dayton, and Charleston markets which include strong Reds' fan bases.

New policy set out by the Obama administration is placing more of a focus on urban circulator transportation projects that promote livability. The action places Cincinnati's streetcar project among those that could qualify for new funding.

Some 80 cities are qualified for the new urban circulator money, but of those 80 about a dozen are "very close" to actually implementing such a system. One of those "very close" cities is Cincinnati as it works to develop its own modern streetcar system that will initially run between Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Uptown.

Cincinnati has redefined itself over the past decade. Perhaps the most surprising transformation has been of its image.

As Cincinnati moves forward with its plans for a modern streetcar system it joins a new age of mobility with cities like Portland, Seattle, Minneapolis and Denver. But it also looks back onto the days when it first set the standard for urban mobility whether it was the canal system, extensive cable car network, or inclines that defined its transportation role and set the standard for early American cities.

Daveed's at 934, Primavista, and Scotti's Italian Restaurant made Trails' list of America's Most Romantic restaurants. The three Cincinnati restaurants represent three different romantic feels in three different areas of the city.

Scotti's has been providing top-notch Italian cuisine in downtown Cincinnati since 1911, while Daveed's recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary of serving contemporary American cuisine. Primavista, which sits on the city's west side boasts tremendous Italian food and spectacular city views.

Cincinnati's Freestore Foodbank not only provides food for the needy, but it also provides culinary arts training for at-risk, low-income people. The organization's Cincinnati Cooks program is in its 9th year and has graduated 650 people.

Of those 650 graduates close to 500 have been successfully placed into food-related jobs. Cincinnati Cooks hopes to grow as they move into a new building in downtown Cincinnati, including increasing food production and the overall number of participants in the Cincinnati Cooks program.

Popular downtown Cincinnati restaurant and bar, Bootsy's, was chosen as one of 50 winners for restaurants with the most "Vibrant Bar Scene" through OpenTable's annual Diners' Choice Awards. The list includes restaurants from across the country, but Bootsy's ranked as the only restaurant from Ohio and one of only six from the Midwest.

The list was derived from roughly four million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 10,000 restaurants across the United States. The top 50 received the highest scores from OpenTable diners.

Cincinnati's musical institutions just got a bit healthier after a massive $85 million fund was created by Louise Dieterle Nippert to support classical music in the city.

The new fund will provide $3 million a year to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, $500,000 to the Cincinnati Opera, $200,000 to the Cincinnati, and the rest of the fund being split up amongst a variety of smaller musical institutions.

As the success at Fountain Square continues to grow, so does the desire for companies to get their names seen at the popular gathering space in Cincinnati's center city.

3CDC has already raised about $400,000 in corporate sponsorships for the first four and a half months of the 2010 fiscal year which compares to a total $500,000 for all of 2009. The 2010 amount is also more than half of the organization's total goal, and is raising expectations to eventually raise $1 million in corporate sponsorships.

Now that four casinos in Ohio have been approved, local leaders are now jockeying to decide how they should be implemented. In Cincinnati, Dale Mallory believes a boxing venue would be a perfect fit given the city's history.

The State Representative sees the new casino to be built in downtown Cincinnati as a potential springboard to raise boxing interest in the city, and would like to see an arena built as part of the casino project.

Procter & Gamble's new CEO Robert A. McDonald has a goal of adding 548,000 new customers a day for the next five years as part of the companies global expansion plan.

The big challenges for McDonald in accomplishing this will be expanding its reach in P&G's core markets while also winning over new customers in places like Nigeria, India and Somalia where potential customers might not use many of P&G's consumer products.

Macy's took on gay pride as a national campaign in 2009 not to make a political statement, but instead to support their associates and customers. The company cites their diverse clientele as a major reason behind this decision.

To do this, Cincinnati-based Macy's has been utilizing Corliss Fong to help the nation's largest department-store chain reach gay and lesbian customers across its 850 stores.

In 2007 Procter & Gamble conducted its own energy audit that led to the creation of ColdWater Tide. The audit has since led to a surge in innovation, the creation of new corporate roles focused on sustainability, and some big product changes.

Those changes have led to substantial and measurable decreases in the company's corporate carbon footprint, but have also built brand loyalty as customers realize much of the energy savings within their own home. The move by the world's largest consumer products company is one that is forcing competitors to keep up while it is also making a profound impact on the world's energy use.

Ohio became the 13th state to allow casinos as voters approved a ballot measure that will create casinos in the state's four largest cities - Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo. The goal is to have the new casinos opened by late 2012.

The emphasis of the proposal was on the 34,000 jobs and millions of dollars in state revenues that are projected to be created as a result. Three previous ballot measures failed at accomplishing the same task, but with Ohio facing an unemployment rate of 10.8 percent, the impetus may have been there more than ever before.

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center may become an "independent establishment" within the federal government if museum officials have their way. The move would increase funding and exhibit prospects.

The discussions started when museum officials learned of legislation being pushed forward to create a national emancipation museum - something U.S. Representative Steve Driehaus believes already exists with the Freedom Center in Cincinnati.

Following a difficult year, executives at Procter & Gamble see growth ahead as they focus on value-priced items and emerging markets among other things that will help grow their consumer base from 4 billion to 5 billion.

The world's largest consumer product's company believes that adjustments need to be made as shoppers opt for lower-priced alternatives to the company's well-known brands like Pampers, Tide and Duracell.

As the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center celebrates its fifth anniversary, its working to trim its focus during rough economic times.

Since its opening on the Cincinnati riverfront in 2004, the museum has reduced its budget and staff to adjust to lower than expected attendance. A cut in ticket prices this year and several traveling exhibits are credited with boosting attendance.

The Freedom Center continues to draw rave reviews from educators and students visiting the museum. Officials also expect a boost in attendance to occur following the completion of the $1 billion riverfront development surrounding the museum known as The Banks.

Cincinnati native Darius Crenshaw will be touring through Cincinnati with "The Color Purple" as it makes its second visit here. The SCPA grad credits his former teachers for getting him to Broadway.

The Grammy-nominated musical features gospel, jazz, pop and blues and is based on Alice Walker's novel about a woman who finds emotional peace after a trial-filled life in rural Georgia in the early 1900s.

More than 51 hours of standing attached to a car on Fountain Square is what it took for a Cincinnati area woman to win a new Kia Sol as part of a radio station contest.

Kim Murphy of Newport, Kentucky outlasted 19 other people in the contest that required contestants to keep their hands on the car for as long as possible. Murphy won when the final opponent lifted their hand off the vehicle during a conversation. In addition to the one-year lease on the 2010 Kia Sol, Murphy also won a new Nokia 500 smart phone and a front row seat to Riverfest 2009.

The United States Olympic Committee has just landed a major new sponsor for its Olympic teams in Vancouver and London. The new sponsor is Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble which will promote its Cover Girl, Olay, Secret, Venus, Pepto-Bismol, Vicks, Pringles, Bounty, Charmin, Pampers, Febreze, Tide and Crest brands as part of the deal.

Valued at more than $15 million, the deal comes at a much needed time as the USOC recently lost sponsorship deals with General Motors and Home Depot.

Between 2000 and 2008 Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble has seen revenue more than double from $40 billion to $83 billion, while earnings grew from $2.5 billion to more than $12 billion. "This is the kind of performance one expects from an IT company or a firm operating in an emerging market. Not a 200-year-old soap company based in Cincinnati."

The changes at P&G have been credited towards their new dedication to being a leader in innovation. In 2002, Claudia Kotchka was appointed as the company's first VP for design strategy and innovation. Since that time she has changed the way the company operates and made it one of the most innovative companies on earth.

John Legend joined a growing list of celebrities that have been spotted at downtown Cincinnati's T.J. Maxx clothing store. The six-time Grammy Award winner was in town for the Macy's Music Festival and was staying at a downtown hotel.

Legend tweeted that he had stopped into the store and that many people looked shocked to see him there buying gym shorts.

Other celebrities who have recently stopped in include Rev. Run, Alice Cooper and members of the rock band Poison.

Six Cincinnati-area restaurants and four hotels received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond rating. All but one of the businesses were repeat winners, with Nicola's Ristorante in historic Over-the-Rhine being the sole newcomer.

Many of the winners were located in or around Downtown, but Oakley, Mount Adams, Over-the-Rhine, Covington were also neighborhood homes for the winners.

The ratings are based on surveys that judge hotels and restaurants on amenities, service and creative menus.

New York Times writer Kassie Bracken visits Cincinnati and discusses the many things to see and do over the course of 36 hours in the Queen City.

"With the quiet momentum of a work in progress, Cincinnati is finding an artsy swagger, infused with a casual combination of Midwest and Southern charm," says Bracken who goes on to discuss Cincinnati's revitalized downtown and the transcending historic Over-the-Rhine.

Bracken visits a slew of places throughout the city and hits neighborhoods like Northside, Covington and Newport in addition to Downtown and Over-the-Rhine.

Chicago Tribune reporter Phil Marty takes a trip to Cincinnati and reports back on its architecture, history, activities and the cities especially friendly people.

As Marty visited Findlay Market he remarked that, "it's the place to socialize, and popular with activists, judging
by the genial, graying woman selling the Socialist Worker and the trio
of guys buttonholing passersby to talk about the Green Party."

In addition to the many things to see and do, Marty remarks on the people who may get their unique Midwestern friendliness from being part southern at the same time.

The 2009 Next Leaders Summit (formerly the YP Summit) will be held in Cincinnati from September 17-19 at the Westin Cincinnati downtown and will be hosted by Cincinnati Mayor Mallory's Young Professional Kitchen Cabinet.

The Summit will take place within the Westin and other hotspots throughout the city as young professionals discuss topics like Effective Communications, YP Advocacy, Talent Retention, Building Inclusivity, Green/Sustainability Initiatives, Community Collaboration and more.

The Next Leaders Summit is considered to be the "preeminent forum for developing the skills future leaders need to build better cities and workplaces."

After a season of strong ticket sales, and a robust growth over the
previous season's sales, the Cincinnati Cyclones have been named the
2008-09 Ticket Department of the Year.

The ECHL hockey team raised their attendance by 44 percent which was the second highest in professional hockey this season. This 44 percent increase comes off of the previous season's increase of 36.8 percent which ranked first.

Since returning in 2006, the Cyclones have increased their attendance 68 percent and recorded the largest crowd in ECHL playoff history when 12,722 turned out for its Kelly Cup championship game last year.

The discussion highlighted a weekend of activities that highlighted the civil rights movement and the current state of race relations in America. The events took place in downtown Cincinnati at the Great American Ballpark, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and Cincinnati's Fountain Square.

The weekend of events also included Bill Cosby, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron and former president Bill Clinton among others who emphasized that while much has been done the fight must continue.

On June 20, the Cincinnati Reds will play host to the Chicago White Sox at what will be the first Civil Rights Game held at a major league stadium during the regular season.

The game will showcase Cincinnati and the efforts Major League Baseball has made to create a level playing field for players and fans of all races and backgrounds.

The game will be complimented by a host of other civil rights related events taking place throughout the weekend which will include people like Hank Aaron, Tony Perez, Oscar Robertson, Harold Reynolds, Bud Selig, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, Bill Cosby, Bob Gibson, Soledad O'Brien, BeBe Winans, Eric Davis and Bill Clinton.

In an effort to further put the Green Cincinnati Initiative into action the City will soon be offering free parking to anyone driving an all-electric vehicle.

Vice Mayor David Crowley says that while only a small number of people will be affected at first, the new program is a symbolic effort. "This is a concrete step of some economic value to people willing to invest in all-electric vehicles or who drive them," says Crowley.

Those wishing to take advantage of the program will have to display a city-issued sticker to park without charge.

A state senator, from the northern Cincinnati suburb West Chester, has introduced a resolution to the Ohio Senate that urges MLB Commissioner Bud Selig to select the Reds to host the 2013 All-Star Game.

"As the first professional baseball team in 1869, the Reds have played an important role in the evolution and growth of Major League Baseball," says Cates who also says that Cincinnati has some of the most devoted fans in the game.

The Reds last hosted the game in 1988 at Riverfront Stadium. The Reds now play at the new Great American Ballpark located on Joe Nuxhall Way in downtown Cincinnati.

Burger Beer lovers will be able to purchase Burger Classic and Burger Light throughout Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana for $5.99 a twelve pack in cans. Burger was one of the first beers in the country to be sold in cans.

Based on a recent opinion survey, Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI) is noting that perceptions of downtown are improving and that more people are visiting downtown, coming more frequently, staying longer and spending more money.

Respondents also saw downtown s "fun, genuine and unique," and more people are considering downtown for dining, shopping and entertainment than they did a year ago.

In the 2008 annual report that also came out DCI reports that sales of the Downtown Cincinnati Gift Card are up 20 percent, pedestrian traffic remained steady, Class A vacancy rates decreased, 20 new businesses opened and some $926 million in projects are underway and expected to be completed in the next two years.

Sergio Reyes of Palmdale, California won Cincinnati's annual Flying Pig Marathon in 2 hours, 20 minutes and 37 seconds amongst a record field of more than 16,000 runners.

Reyes called the marathon one of the most scenic races he's ever run. The race started in downtown Cincinnati and then twisted through many of the city's scenic neighborhoods, hills and even followed along the Ohio River for several miles.

This year marked the 12th year for the Flying Pig Marathon which gets its name from Cincinnati's former status as the pork-packing capital. Autumn Ray of Galveston, Texas won the women's side in 2 hours, 52 minutes and 23 seconds.

On May 1st the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Education and Training Program (WETP) teamed with several agencies in Cincinnati, Ohio for a disaster training exercise geared towards responding to explosions and dispersions of chemicals.

The chemical preparedness and response exercise involved over 150 participants and was a collaborative effort between the NIEHS, City of Cincinnati, International Union of Operating Engineers, Interstate Chemical Terrorism Workgroup, US Environmental Protection Agency, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the University of Cincinnati.

Director of the NIEHS, Linda Birnbaum, was “pleased to participate in this important training exercise to promote information exchange and bridge the gap between federal, state and local organizations involved in an emergency response.”

The Cincinnati USA Regional Tourism Network has big plans for bringing more tourists to Greater Cincinnati in 2009.

Based on market research, the RTN has determined a combination of traditional media with increased internet marketing and strategic social media programs is what's needed to draw outsiders into the Queen City.

Radio spots stress the popularity of the Reds as a regional attraction, along with the new Diamondback roller coaster at Kings Island and Zoo Babies at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. Leaders acknowledge this will be a challenging year for the tourism and leisure industry. But the Cincinnati region has much going for it as a weekend getaway destination because of the variety of affordable attractions.

The RTN was created in 2005 to promote Greater Cincinnati as a tourism destination.

700 new jobs started this week in Cincinnati as the newest wave of government workers took to the streets for what will become a three-month walking of every street in every town in the region. Equipped with the latest in hand-held global-positioning gadgets, the census field workers are charged with counting every person in the city as part of the U.S. Census.

Mayor Mallory takes the business of counting seriously as an accurate tally will translate into federal dollars. Currently the Census Bureau estimates the city's population at 332,458 – less than the 378,259 he believes are actually living in the city.

Ohio Governor Ted Strickland has announced that $23.2 million of the state's share of federal economic stimulus funding will be directed to The Banks project on the Cincinnati riverfront.

According to U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, $10.2 million of that total will be used for a parking structure as part of the project's second phase, and $8 million will be applied to rebuilding the riverfront street grid.

Also last week, the development team of Carter and The Dawson Company unveiled the latest schematic designs for the project's first phase.

Individual architects presented refinements of the June 2008 designs based upon suggestions from the city's Urban Design Review Board, which included the incorporation of more contemporary architectural elements.

Read more about the stimulus funding here, and read about the updated designs here.

A recent Forbes survey finds that Hamilton County's property tax rate is the lowest, as a percentage of income, of Ohio's six largest urban areas, says Hamilton County Commissioner David Pepper.

In his PepTalk blog, Pepper says that there are misconceptions about the county's tax rate, but that it's actually relatively low when compared to other metropolitan areas against which it competes for jobs, businesses, and talent.

The Forbes survey found that Hamilton County's property tax rate as a percentage of income was 26 percent lower than Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), 16 percent lower than Franklin County (Columbus), and 8.5 percent lower than Summit County (Akron).

Hamilton County's sales tax was also the lowest of the top six urban counties, tied with Summit County.

Even as the economy has stalled, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC) CEO Stephen Leeper keeps building on the positive momentum the non-profit has created during his five years on the job.

Through projects such as the redevelopment of Fountain Square and the organization's work in Over-the-Rhine, 3CDC has invested $99 million, drawing $49 million in private investment and $19 million from the City of Cincinnati.

Within the next 12 months, Leeper expects to announce that 3CDC's Cincinnati Equity Fund and Cincinnati New Markets Fund have raised an additional combined $70 million to keep the projects moving along.

Described as "bold", "honest", and "feisty", 3CDC's board of directors saw fit to extend his contract to 2015, his second extension since April 2004.

Procter & Gamble brought together 40 digital media and agency executives and 100 of its North American marketing directors for Digerati, a contest to sell Tide T-shirts which aired largely over social media.

In addition to hitting the top 10 trending topics on Twitter for a brief moment, the four teams relied entirely on social media to sell more than 2,000 T-shirts at $20 apiece, spending only about $4,000 in the process.

Besides charity, the goal of the evening was to expose P&G's marketing directors to uses of social media that they hadn't considered before, to build stronger ties with digital media and agencies, and to help recruit marketers to the company.

In her new role, Spohr will serve as a liaison to state government, local business leaders, elected officials, and economic and workforce development entities to meet the training and talent development needs of businesses throughout Hamilton, Butler, Warren, and Clermont counties.

The $1 billion Banks development on Cincinnati's riverfront took its first steps above ground with a concrete pour for the Freedom Way East garage.

Underground work has been going on for several months to prepare the site for the elevated slab, which will serve as an intermediate parking deck below Freedom Way.

The first phase of the development, to be built atop the parking structures, will include 300 apartment units, 70,000 square feet of retail space, between 250,000 and 300,000 square feet of office space, and a possible boutique hotel.

Yes, Cincinnati has a sometimes shaky reputation. But let's forget about that for a second. (Or forever.)

Laura DeMarco, a writer for the Newhouse News Service whose story was picked up by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, sees in Cincinnati a cultural revival, a city that boasts "world-class museums, a vibrant nightlife and dining scene, and a rich look at the state's history".

The writer also recommends catching a show at the Southgate House, taking a trip off the beaten path to the Comet in Northside to dine on a giant burrito, or experiencing the fine dining, fantastic views, and charming streets of Mount Adams.

Cincinnati will be the next Silicon Valley - well at least for one night as Procter & Gamble hosts the top executives from Google, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter at its headquarters next week according to Advertising Age. The meeting is by strict invitation only, so don't feel bad if this is the first time you're hearing about it.

Following a meeting with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory says that he's assured that Cincinnati will receive its fair share of the $787 billion federal economic stimulus bill.

According to Mallory, the president told the 80 mayors in attendance that stimulus money will be on the streets within six months and is expected to be spent on projects within 18 months.

He was also pleased that $7 billion of the $12 billion set aside for transit projects would go directly to cities, instead of being funnelled through state governments.

"The president stressed several things, that he understands the importance of cities as it relates to stimulating the economy," Mallory tells the Enquirer.

The bureau predicts that total room nights will grow another 3 percent in 2009, and Lincoln says that the bureau is reaching out to make sure that attendance at already scheduled conventions is not affected by the economic downturn.

Michel Sheer, general manager of the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel, suggests that the bureau should bring five to ten recurring, large-scale conventions to town and should also focus on bringing smaller groups that can use smaller portions of the convention center.

The group must prepare a proposal, due this month, to host the 2009 Next Leaders Summit, the largest meeting of young professional groups in the nation.

Mayor Mark Mallory started the advisory group in 2006 in an effort to coordinate the activites of various YP groups throughout the region, with the goal of attracting and retaining young professionals.

This year saw a record number of applicants for the cabinet, Mallory tells the Enquirer.

As detailed in "Designed to Innovate...Sustainably", P&G's most recent annual sustainability report, the company reduced water consumption by seven percent, energy usage by six percent, and CO2 emissions by eight percent.

This is the first time the company has been named to the Global 100, which was launched in 2005.

Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory has submitted a request for $332 million to fund 51 projects as part of the proposed $819 billion federal stimulus package.

The list includes $190 million in water and sewer projects, $74 million for new streets and related infrastructure, and $24 million for public improvements connected to neighborhood economic development initiatives.

Also requested was $12.6 million to conduct an engineering study to determine the best route for an Over-the-Rhine-to-Uptown streetcar connector.

Mallory estimates that more than 3,600 jobs would be created if the list of projects were fully funded.

Cincinnati has ranked as the 28th most wired city in the United States, according to an annual evaluation conducted by Forbes.com.

Forbes measured cities' "wired quotient" by computing the percentage of Internet users with high-speed connections, the number of companies providing high-speed Internet, and the number of public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Placing between Philadelphia and Columbus, Cincinnati received top 20 marks for broadband adoption and Wi-Fi hotspots, but lost ground due to the number of service providers available.

Ohio has invested heavily in providing 100 percent broadband access throughout the state, and the Obama administration and House Democrats have proposed including $6 billion for broadband infrastructure as part of the economic stimulus package.

Although P&G still spends more than $2 billion a year on research and development and employs more than 9,000 researchers worldwide, more than half of its new product ideas now are coming from outside of the company.

According to the Enquirer, this outside-in approach can mean buying ingredients or technology from other firms, licensing the rights to products owned by others, or awarding the rights to its brands for others to develop.

Connect and Develop has allowed P&G profits per employee to grow 8 percent a year by drastically cutting research and development costs.

Traditional engineering and production requires a product to be designed, a prototype to be created and tested, and then results to be fed back into redesign -- a time-consuming and costly method.

Exploring other options, P&G looked at Caterpillar, Inc.'sChampaign Simulation Center at the University of Illinois Research Park, a model of partnership with universities that could provide cost-effective simulations while helping to grow future talent.

The center opened in September at the UC Turner Building and is staffed by nine students for UC's College of Engineering, who are working closely with P&G engineers on limited modeling projects, with plans to expand modeling capabilities as the center matures.

The HYPE Talent Symposium, from 8 AM to noon at Great American Ball Park, will reinforce the importance of selling the region as a great place to live and work.

According to the Business Courier, the event also will include and exercise that will help guests understand the perspective of a person new to the region and an introduction of the chamber's recruiting tools developed for its HYPE initiative.

The Wall Street Journal reports that discussions about employee swaps began last year, and that two Tide detergent brand managers swapped places with a pair of Google officials in January.

P&G spokeswoman Allison Yang tells the New York Times that her company is looking to reach more online customers, and embedded Google officials have been schooled in P&G's innovative brands and strategies.

The two companies expect to continue job swaps and information exchanges in the future.

After a decade of dormancy, the board of the Emery Center Corp. hopes that the November 23 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards spurs interest in raising the $3 million needed to make the historic theater functional.

Built in 1911 by Samuel Hannaford and Sons and owned by the University of Cincinnati, the Emery Center board has been busy preparing renovation cost estimates, performing valuation studies, demolishing and removing debris, and generally freshening up the space.

With parking available in the nearby Gateway garage and the thriving surrounding arts scene, many see a need for a 1,600-seat theater like the Emery.

It's still unclear if the city will have money in the budget to support the project, or if a proposed theater at Fifth and Race will materialize.

With a theme of "Renewing the Energy in Science Education", the conference is expected to focus on the topics of teaching for enduring understanding, renewable and non-renewable resources, and the nature of science.

Attendees will also be able to browse NSTA's Exhibition of Science Teaching Materials, where more than 100 companies and organizations will exhibit the latest science education materials, laboratory equipment, and computer hardware and software.

Kendle International Inc. has been named a "Best Place to Work" in the Grand company category by the Cincinnati Business Courier.

More than 100 companies participated in the publication's Greater Cincinnati's Best Places to Work 2008 survey, which was open to any company in the 15-county region with more than 10 employees, or companies not based locally but have at least 75 local employees.

Companies were judged based on scores from employee surveys that evaluated employee engagement, trust in management and coworkers, belief in career path, commitment to professional development, satisfaction with compensation and benefits, and overall workplace fulfillment.

"Kendle is proud to be recognized as an employer of choice," Candace Kendle, chairman and CEO, says in a media release. "We value the contributions of our associates and work hard to create a stimulating and rewarding culture that engages them through ongoing learning and career development opportunities to advance their skills and accelerate their careers."

Cincinnati and Hamilton County have reached an agreement on a new regional transit agency that could give more say to suburban governments - if they are willing to pay.

The Greater Cincinnati Regional Transit Authority would consist of a 13-member board, with seven being appointed by the City of Cincinnati and six from Hamilton County.

Butler, Clermont and Warren counties would be able to directly appoint board members if they formally join the new agency, and could gain a majority of the board seats if they contribute more than 50 percent of the agency's budget.

Both the City of Cincinnati and the Hamilton County Commission are likely to consider resolutions on the matter this month.

The City of Cincinnati is still in the running for the world's largest international choir competition, and spent this weekend making its case.

Team Cincinnati, winners of NBC's Clash of the Choirs, performed at the Aronoff Center on Saturday for a site selection committee from the World Choir Games, who became aware of Cincinnati through the television show.

The competition has never been held in the United States, and the Cincinnati Arts Association (CAA) is pitching a Downtown and Over-the-Rhine "campus" of venues as its strongest selling point.

The CAA estimates that the games, which would be held in 2012, would bring a $13 million economic impact, 44,000 hotel room nights and 20,000 participants.

Cincinnati USA's branding efforts deliver a consistent and persuasive message, according to the Branding Strategy Insider. Ed Burghard, executive director of the Ohio Business Development Coalition, writes that it is his belief that place branding is an effective strategy for accelerating the economic growth of a location, either through direct foreign investment or through the expansion of already established companies.

In his opinion, the Cincinnati region does a great job across seven different place branding strategies, making the area even more competitive for capital investment.

But Burghard warns that other cities and states are also in the game, so both the state and the region must continue to push their brand promises while continuing to improve their business climates.

Because of its commitment to safety and health and to improving the quality of life in the communities it serves, FirstGroup America has been awarded the 2009 Green Cross for Safety Medal by the National Safety Council (NSC).

The announcement was made during the opening session of the NSC's 96th Annual Congress & Expo in Anaheim, California, and the company will receive the medal at a special recognition dinner in spring 2009.

"We believe that FirstGroup is both a trend setter and an industry leader in safety and health," NSC president and CEO Janet Froetscher tells PR Newswire. "The company's two core values, safety and customer service with safety, exemplify the priority with which safety is embraced."

Based downtown, FirstGroup America transports more than 2.5 billion passengers a year.

Played for the first two seasons in Memphis, the game pays tribute to an era of significant social change in America and honors baseball's involvement in helping African American players break through racial barriers.

"Cincinnati was the first point for freedom for many people," Mayor Mark Mallory tells MLB.com. "The Civil Rights game is an excellent opportunity to continue our ongoing national efforts to advance civil rights."

Two days of events commemorating the Civil Rights Movement, including a panel discussion and banquest honoring the recipients of the third annual MLB Beacon Awards, will lead up to the game.

Procter and Gamble has announced that it is contributing $150,000 to the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) to help provide scholarships for Hispanic students pursuing college careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

According to PR Newswire, a Congressional Research Service report from 2008 indicates that science and technology-related professions are among the top 30 fastest-growing occupations with a 27 percent growth rate, compared to a 10 percent average rate for other occupations.

The HSF scholarship application period will run until February 27, 2009, with 48 scholarships of $2,500 awarded to eligible Hispanic students who will be enrolled in school in the fall of 2009.

P&G has been a corporate partner of HSF for more than two decades and has contributed more than $3,000,000 to help educate future Hispanic leaders.

Bucking national and regional trends, a strong local convention business has helped downtown Cincinnati's hotels occupancy and room rates climb.

From January to July of 2008, local occupancy rates rose 7 percent over the same period last year, compared to a 3 percent drop nationally.

Many credit the $135 million expansion of the Duke Energy Convention Center, which reopened in mid 2006 and allowed for such high-profile conventions as the NAACP Convention and the National Baptist Convention.

"Cincinnati’s increase looks like much more when you look everywhere else that’s losing occupancy," Sotiris Avgoustis, chairman of the tourism, convention and event planning department of Indiana University at Indianapolis, tells the Cincinnati Enquirer, noting that occupancy is down in regional cities such as Indianapolis, St. Louis, Minneapolis and Detroit.

The competition encourages county employees and residents to take the Energy Star Campaign pledge to save energy and help fight global warming.

By joining the pledge, employees and residents will receive a 10 percent discount on Office Depot's Green Brand Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs, and the county with the most pledges will receive 1,000 free lightbulbs.

Thousands of low-income Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) students will get on track for college thanks to a $2.4 million GEARUP SCORES partnership grant.

The grant comes from a $303.4 million federal program that emphasizes increasing the number of disadvantaged students prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education by increasing math and science scores, boosting graduation rates, and educating students and parents about college access and financial aid.

The partnership, which is being led by the University of Cincinnati and CPS, will track 4,000 sixth- and seventh-grade students in 31 CPS schools over the six-year grant period.

NIOXIN offers a range of innovative products to improve the appearance of thinning hair and is distributed through salons in more than 40 countries.

"Our goal is to further grow the NIOXIN business with their current organization, brand portfolio and distribution partners," Kevin Otero, general manager of P&G Professional Care North America tells PR Newswire.

Current NIOXIN CEO Brian Graham will be retained to lead the business.

Our region's economic future and overall vitality rely on showing young professionals (YPs) that Cincinnati is a terrific place to live, learn, work, play and stay, says University of Cincinnati president Nancy Zimpher.

In an editorial appearing in the Business Courier, Zimpher says that too much of our regional strategy has targeted companies and their investment, while not paying enough attention to the talent base that could fill those new jobs.

She argues that YPs live at the cutting edge and are more mobile, but will put down roots and establish networks where they find fulfillment.

With higher fuel prices leading to increased ridership, transit systems like Cincinnati's Metro are looking at ways to make riders' experiences more pleasant and more convenient, all while keeping costs down.

In doing so, transit agencies hope to makeover the image of bus transportation, which is often associated with people of low income.

Metro has installed Wi-Fi on many of its routes, and recently has been given permission to continue traveling on the shoulder of I-71 to shorten commuters' trips.

Metro's use of soy biodiesel fuel also makes it attractive to environmentally-conscious customers.

Cincinnati has been selected as one of five cities from across the country to participate in Swing Semester, an innovative program that helps young people take their first steps into political activism.

The program places college students and other young people with host families in key swing states, where they work with campaigns, issue-based organizations and get-out-the-vote efforts.

In addition to becoming engaged in the political process and learning about their host communities, students can earn college credit.

At least 40 cities are exploring the use of streetcars to drive economic development, and the New York Times highlights Cincinnati's $132 million proposal.

Advocates are basing their studies on the success of Portland, Oregon, which, since installing its system in 2001, have claimed more than 10,000 residential units and more than $3.5 billion in property investment within two blocks of the line.

Not only can streetcars aid in resident mobility in an era of increasing gas prices, but they lure younger workers who crave a walkable environment and entice developers who are drawn by the permanence of the infrastructure.

"Cincinnati has to compete with other cities for investment," Cincinnati city manager Milton Dohoney Jr tells the New York Times. "We have to compete for talent and for a place of national prominence."

Bluespring Software has announced the development of Office Business Applications, a cost-effective and easy-to-manage way to automate key business functions.

Office Business Applications are out of the box applications that leverage such programs as Word, Excel, Visio and SharePoint, meaning that there is little to no learning curve for users and minimal IT support required.

The applications also give companies the ability to invest in a single solutions platform, lowering not only the acquisition cost of software but also ongoing maintenance and support.

According to a media release, the applications also leverage Service Oriented Architecture technology to rapidly "stitch" together enterprise solutions based on pre-built components instead of coding them from scratch, dramatically reducing development time and cost.

Strive has endorsed a plan by an alliance of non-profits to increase the number of Cincinnati Public Schools (CPS) students who enroll in college following graduation.

Through services that include academic and career advising, financial aid assistance, test preparation and campus tours, the Cincinnati College Access Alliance hopes to raise the number of CPS graduates attending college up to the national average of 57 percent within five years.

Currently, about 47 percent of CPS graduates proceed to college immediately following graduation.

Strive, a subsidiary of the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, is a coalition of community leaders working to promote student success.

Cincinnati branding firm Observatory Group is partnering with Procter & Gamble to develop a software program that will make innovation easier, and a prototype was scheduled to be delivered yesterday.

According to the Business Courier, the Technology Evaluation Application Mobile (TEAM) software will allow P&G's general mailbox to use message content to direct messages from scientists, inventors and others to the proper person or department.

The software is expected to speed up the innovation process by ensuring that new ideas don't languish in inboxes.

For the past eight years, P&G has been actively soliciting external partnerships and collaborations through its Connect & Develop program.

Procter & Gamble is creating a new sub-brand for its Tide and Downy product lines that borrow ingredients from its beauty care lines that will result in clothes that stay fresh looking after 50 washes.

While P&G has co-branded in the past by adding Febreze to both of these products, they have taken a much larger step by marrying two of its largest business units - a move that's organizationally difficult given their sheer size.

Kash Shaikh, a rep for P&G, tells Brandweek that "this is really the first time we've embraced this idea of elevating the category from fabric care to fashion care."

P&G plans to spend $60 million on an advertising campaign for both products, compared to a total of $180 million on both brands in 2007.

Business law firm Thompson Hine has established a Climate Change and Sustainable Business Solutions group to help companies cope with the challenges faced when tackling environmental issues.

Steve Axtell, co-leader of the group, tells BusinessWire that the team is staying on top of current and expected legislation, and stands ready to help its clients stay abreast of new developments and opportunities.

Because climate change is such a complex policy area, the group is made up of people from a variety of legal disciplines, including environmental, energy, transportation, finance, intellectual property, trade, real estate, construction, and corporate law.

The group already has begun advising power producers, manufacturers, municipalities, colleges and universities.

As cities try to emulate Kalamazoo's success with its free college tuition program, Strive is working to put together its own program locally.

Financing for such a program is the main obstacle to Strive's effort.

Kalamazoo's program, called Kalamazoo Promise, began in 2005 with a gift from anonymous donors that guaranteed graduates of the city's public school system free tuition to any college or university in the state of Michigan.

About a dozen cities, including Pittsburgh and Denver, have already launched similar programs, and, recently, officials from 82 cities visited Kalamazoo to discuss how to adapt the concept.

Like Cincinnati, many cities across the country are trying to prevent the volatile mix of teen boredom and hot temperatures by implementing summer jobs programs.

Cincinnati's April job fair brought together 125 employers with 2,500 applicants, but, according to U.S. News and World Report, Mayor Mark Mallory is unsure how many of those contacts led to jobs.

The Center for Labor Market Studies of Northeastern University forecasts that summer teen employment will not rise above 34 percent, the worst jobless rate for teens in 61 years.

To help boost teens' opportunities, more than 140 mayors have signed a letter to Congress asking it to pass a $1 billion authorization bill for youth activities, but support in Washington has been weak.

A new report released by the American Institute of Architects looks at the 12 best green building incentives by state and local governments, which includes the City of Cincinnati's tax exemption. According to Interior Design, Local Leaders in Sustainability - Green Incentives highlights the challenges in creating and maintaining incentive programs and examines their effectiveness.

Some of the best incentives included tax reductions, expedited permits, and allowances for additional building height. Cincinnati's program provides a 100 percent property tax exemption for 15 years for new LEED-certified buildings and 10 years for LEED renovations for residential buildings valued up to $500,000.

Downtown Cincinnati Inc. (DCI) has launched a $1 million advertising campaign targeted at people with an "urban mindset" who live in the region. "Life Happens Here. Downtown." will launch July 14 and will include radio, newspaper, magazine and online ads, as well as a coupon-based direct mail program. DCI hopes to target both young professionals and empty-nesters who live within 20 minutes of downtown.

DCI teamed with Focus/FGW and branding firm Deskey to produce the campaign.

Chiquita Brands International has continued to post stronger performance since the end of 2006, and CEO Fernando Aguirre says that the company is making progress on profitability and sustained growth. Streamlining of the organization has been successful in cutting costs and improving efficiency. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, Aguirre says that, due to customer demand, the company plans to develop long-term opportunities in healthier foods.

"Our partnership with Macy's Music Festival and the Cincinnati Regional Tourism Network is a great opportunity for us to reach minority leisure travelers who are motivated to travel for events," assistant state tourism director and former Cincinnati City Councilmember Alicia Reece says in a media release.

As the largest effort of its kind ever undertaken by a U.S. philanthropic organization, the initiative will help physicians improve quality of care, give patients better information that will let them manage their own health, improve care within hospitals, and reduce inequalities in care for people of different races and ethnicities.

Over the next three years, the foundation will provide Greater Cincinnati Aligning Forces for Quality with more than $1 million, expertise, technical assistance and training.

Leaders from Hamilton County's cities, villages and townships came together for a Green Development Summit last week to learn how they can work together to save the environment.

According to assistant Hamilton County administrator Jeff Aluotto, the event explored the ways in which the 48 different political subdivisions could put together an action plan for reducing greenhouse gases and lowering energy use, all while saving taxpayer money.

Nearly a dozen local companies received money from venture capital funds last year, showing that the market for start-ups is the best it's been in years.

CincyTechUSA, southwest Ohio's start-up incubator, has $22.5 million in funds to spend over the next 3 to 4 years, which it plans to use to grow companies just large enough that they will catch a venture capitalist's eye.

"We need to be better at transferring technology to the market from our local research institutions, and we need to get these limited partnerships and funds more engaged in the process," Mark Richey of venture-capital fund Draper Triangle Ventures tells the Cincinnati Enquirer. "That will create even more capital flowing through here, and more companies will start, and we'll have a pretty vibrant place."

The state as a whole is gaining in venture-capital receipts, up to 20th nationally in 2007 ($170.6M) from 28th in 2006 ($43.5M).

Both agencies will partner with ODOD's Minority Business Enterprise Division to facilitate training, networking and mentoring opportunities and to ensure that Ohio's minority-owned businesses have the assistance needed to be productive and profitable.

The Cincinnati African-American Chamber will receive $150,000 in grant funding for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 for oversight and staff assistance related to their mission of minority business growth.

They will also work to market the products and services of the Minority Business Enterprise Division to their membership and community.

While the region has had its share of foreclosures and has seen the effects of an economic slowdown, it hasn't seen significant job losses. Schlosser says that this has been a benefit to home buyers - prices have remained favorable, buyers have a wide selection from which to choose, and interest rates are low.

While the local media is largely responsible for cultivating negative opinions among Cincinnatians, every now and then they produce a story that provides some perspective.

Last week, WCPO's Tanya O'Rourke reported on the many positive things going on throughout the region - everything from the redeveloped Fountain Square, to The Banks, and to downtown's tallest new building which is soon to break ground as well as our major league and college sports, our diverse shopping options, world-class arts institutions and our concentration of Fortune 500 companies.

"I think we have been our own worst enemy for the past 10, 15, 20 years, maybe more," Hamilton County Commissioner Todd Portune tells WCPO. "But it's changed, and we aren't speaking that language any more, and good riddance to it!"

San Francisco-based Visage Mobile, a leading provider of mobility and subscriber management solutions, has agreed to sell its Subscriber Management business to Convergys Corporation.

According to the release, Visage will use the proceeds to develop their new MobilityCentral service, an on-demand software solution launched in April that allows businesses to monitor and manage their portfolio of mobility assets and related services.

The non-profit Project Lily Pad has launched more than 30 free Wi-Fi hotspots in Greater Cincinnati, including sites at the airport, Fountain Square, Findlay Market, and the entire Cincinnati riverfront.

The quality of public schools is often cited as one of top reasons for peoples' aversion to urban living, but three recent articles could change some local attitudes.

Last week, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that enrollment projections for the completion of the $1 billion Cincinnati Public Schools facilities master plan were too low, with nine completed buildings already overcrowded and 16 future buildings already projected to be over capacity.

This comes as the district has announced that an "effective" rating, the second-highest of five possible ratings, is within reach this year.

Companies that are able to integrate innovation can transform their business and make a great difference, according the new book The Game-Changer by A.G. Lafley and Ram Charan.

By studying several famous companies, Lafley and Charan have observed that creating a culture of innovation in the workplace will cause innovation to permeate all business functions.

As an example, Procter & Gamble tries to understand their customers as people - their "Living It" program has employees living with customer families for several weeks to see how they use products, while "Working It" puts employees behind the counter to discover what customers are buying and why.

However, innovation does not in itself ensure success.

"Generating ideas is ... pointless unless there is a repeatable process in place to turn inspiration into financial performance," write the authors.

The Kroger Company has hired ex-Goya Foods executive Angel Colon to head its newly-created multicultural business development position at its Cincinnati headquarters.

In Progressive Grocer, Kroger's executive vice president of merchandising says that, "In his new role, Angel will help us improve our efforts in this important area [connecting with a broad range of customers] as we develop even better ways to tailor products and services for our customers."

Colon previously held leadership positions in sales and ethnic marketing for Goya Foods and The Kellogg Company, leading Hispanic and African American promotion efforts.

Lafley shocked industry analysts with his $54 billion takeover of Gillette in 2005, a move of such grand scale that many worried that both companies would be destabilized.

With the takeover now considered a positive boost to P&G's growth, Lafley has channeled his new-found profile into a new book about innovation called The Game Changer, co-written with management guru Ram Charan.

"We want to partner with innovators outside of the company, from anywhere, from a garage, from a research laboratory, from a university, from our suppliers and customers, even from our competitors, to create new brands and product lines that delight consumers and create revenue and profits," Lafley tells the Independent. "Last year, for the first time, fully half the new products we brought to market had one or more outside innovation partners, and we think we can continue to increase that."

Zach Mortice writes that its common these days for international stars to try new ideas in cities such as Cincinnati, Minneapolis, or Kansas City before heading to the coasts.

This is a perfect arrangement, because Sue Ann Painter, executive director of the Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati, says that Midwestern civic leaders have always looked to international capitals for inspiration on how to build their cities.

In the newspaper's Sunday travel column, Matt Gonzales admires the cantilevered facade and the "urban carpet" that architect Zaha Hadid included in the building's lobby.

Three temporary exhibitions are nearing the end of their runs: "Space is the Place", featuring paintings, sculpture, and photographs relating to space exploration; "LeWitt x 2", a tribute to conceptual artist Sol LeWitt; and "Daniel Libeskind", an exploration of four of the architect's recent projects.

According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, the 15-county Greater Cincinnati region's population has topped that of the Cleveland metropolitan area.

The Cincinnati metro gained 12,500 in the last two years to rise to 2,133,678, placing 24th nationally.

Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor lost 8,808 people and fell into 25th place.

The Enquirer reports that Doug Moorman, vice president of economic development of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, says that the increase in population could help the region recruit more businesses due to a larger work force pool.

Rather than upgrading hundreds of PCs running Windows 2000, Cincinnati Bell has turned to the use of virtual desktops for its employees.

InformationWeek reports that the company is in the process of converting one-quarter of their 3,300 white-collar employees' systems to VMware Infrastructure 3 and Sun Microsystems Virtual Desktop Infrastructure.

Jeff Harvey, senior business consultant and project leader at Cincinnati Bell, says that the upgrade is being done because the company is approaching "the end of life support for Windows 2000", and virtual desktops are the most cost-effective option.

Using the knowledge and experience it has gained in-house, the company recently has started offering desktop virtual machines - managed by Cincinnati Bell - to its customers.

In front of an audience of nearly 600, Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory delivered his annual State of the City address in which he addressed the issues of public safety, jobs and economic development, neighborhood revitalization and public transportation.

The News Record reports that Mallory said that for the city to achieve the goals of the GO Cincinnati initiative, it must work harder to attract and retain young professionals.

To help strengthen the bond between Cincinnati and the young, he promised to work with city council to fund a co-op program between the University of Cincinnati and the city and has put his support behind a Downtown to Uptown streetcar connection.

The City of Cincinnati and Hamilton County have extended until February 29 a deadline for Carter & Associates and the Dawson Company to assemble a financing package for the first phase of the Banks project.

Private investment is expected to be between $600 million and $800 million, with $109 million in public funds.

According to the article, a representative with Carter told Globest.com that the development team is halfway to its goal.